Ruby V: Traveller
by Silver as the Rain
Summary: Once more Ruby Bates steps out into the wide world to discover new places, new people and new Pokemon! Not only that, she also sets out to discover more about her strange powers. After training in secret for many months in Kanto, Ruby reaches out into the world beyond in search of her next adventure, along with her most trusted companions Charizard, Ash and of course, Pikachu!
1. Chapter 1

**Back by popular demand and because of special requests, here is the next adventure of our favourite Ruby Bates! Because you guys have been so patient with me, I've decided that I will post this story all in one go because you're all amazing and you deserve it, so don't worry about reviews! You guys have all been so supportive and giving such good advise to me I've done my best to provide the best material I could for you all to read, I hope you all enjoy this next story of the Ruby Saga. Please, sit back, relax, and let the world of Pokemon surround you.**

 **It's show time!**

* * *

It's been well over a year since I've last seen Ash and the others. With my travelling, I made sure to stop by and see all my old friends, including Misty. I even helped her train her water Pokémon with some new contest styles so she could use them to surprise her challengers.

However now that I was in Sinnoh, searching for a Lucario or Riolu of my own, I'd heard that Ash and Brock were here, so I'd set out to find them. In the time I was gone, I'd seriously honed my aura skills and I was doing well with my training, so it didn't take me long to get a location on them through their aura.

When I found Ash, however, it was to see Team Rocket trying to fly away with a Pokémon in their net, it was a Turtwig, one of the Sinnoh region starter Pokémon. Ash had called out, telling Team Rocket to give it back to him so I assumed Ash must have caught this Turtwig himself.

"Okay Charizard, let's help 'em out!" I called and instantly he replied with a thundering roar. Everyone froze in place and Team Rocket looked up, only to let out a scream.

"IT'S THE SCARY TWERP!"

"Oh yeah, and you're not getting away that easy Team Rocket. Charizard, burn through that net!" I ordered and Charizard instantly blasted through the ropes with his Flamethrower, dropping Turtwig down and I jumped over the side, plummeting down however the moment I had Turtwig in my arms I rotated in the air to land on my feet, positioning myself before standing upright.

"It's Ruby! Ruby you're here!" Ash laughed. "I can't believe it, it's been so long!" I turned back and gave him a wink and a smile as Turtwig cheered at being released.

"Hey Ash, Brock, you boys miss me?" I questioned then noticed a third standing with them. He had dark purplish hair and a sour expression, however when he looked at me his eyebrows lifted slightly, taking me in curiously as he stood with a Chimchar. It was a little cutie! "Okay Charizard, Fire Blast into Dragon Tail, let's go!"

"Whoa, Dragon Tail?" Ash questioned then looked up. Charizard blasted the balloon with his fire, a powerful attack that consumed it completely however when his tail flame started to glow purple and was surrounded with a similar glow, he whirled his tail around and sliced through the balloon with ease, blasting it apart and Team Rocket flew into the air.

"No! It's all that little twerp's fault!" Jessie wailed before they all yelled together. "Now we're BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" I flicked out a hand from my hat, tilting it down with a smirk as I still held the Turtwig in my arms.

"My work here is complete." I nodded then looked down at Turtwig. "Hi there! Hope you didn't mind that little freefall there, sorry if I startled you." I said with a smile.

"Turtwig!" Without warning it suddenly leaped out of my arms and clamped its jaws down on my head with a painfully tight grip and I yelled, throwing up my hands and began to run around in circles.

"Ow-wow-wow-wow-ow! GET IT OFF ME!" I shrieked, Ash chasing to try and catch up.

"Hold up, just stay still! Turtwig, let go of Ruby's head!" Ash managed to grab Turtwig, however as he pulled, he began to yank on my head too.

"Genius! This is totally your fault!" I accused, trying to break free.

"Here, let me help you guys." A pretty girl said as she ran over with her Piplup and they both grabbed onto Ash to help him pull.

"Just hold on a moment Ruby, we'll get you out of there." Brock said as he turned to help too. Charizard landed and reviewed the scene carefully before starting to snort with laughter.

"Don't think I can't hear you Charizard!" I yelled at him before finally, my head was pulled free, though Turtwig took my hat with him. With a cry I stumbled backwards, arms flailing but then someone pressed their hand against my back, steadying me so I opened my eyes and blinked up at the stranger. "Oh. Hi. Thanks for that." I said and he gave a simple nod of his head. "Is that your Chimchar? It's really cute." I said as the others tried to free my hat from Turtwig's mouth.

"Chimchar!" The little fire type cheered, lifting its little hands up in clenched fists to show off its strength and I giggled.

"There's still training to be done. It's not all that impressive yet. Chimchar, retu-"

"Oh I don't think so." I cut in, making the guy blink in surprise as I lifted Chimchar up, making him stare up at me, surprised also but then smiled as I hugged him. "You're a strong fella, I can tell. Though you're doing a terrible job with its care. You need to brush its fur more often, that'll help Chimchar to look his best." I said to his trainer. "I'm Ruby by the way."

"Paul. And I don't need your advice on how to take care of my Pokémon. Especially from a _girl_." Instantly my eyes narrowed and Chimchar flinched slightly and we turned to look at one another. I began to sense a lot of repressed emotion from the Chimchar, a beaten down spirit and now that I was focusing, I could tell that Paul wasn't a very nice guy. His aura was repelling, one of the kind I like to stay away from.

"Hey! That's my friend you're talking to." Ash said with an angered expression as he and the others walked over to me. "So you'd better take that back, Ruby is a great Pokémon trainer and coordinator." Paul arched his eyebrow.

"You're a _coordinator_?"

"Something wrong with that?" I questioned and Charizard stomped his foot as he moved closer, growling down at Paul who arched an eyebrow at my tough looking friend.

"Not really. I just can't imagine you winning a lot of pathetic ribbons with a Pokémon like that." I rolled my eyes then smirked, lifting Chimchar up to my shoulder where he stood as I folded my arms.

"Shows how little you know. Coordinating is all about style, not beauty. Obviously you are just an arrogant jerk who thinks he knows it all. And anyway, I don't use Charizard in contest, because I use him in leagues." That got Paul's attention. "He's my powerhouse butt kicker, and if you're not careful, I may turn around and then I won't be able to account for what he might do to you since you've mocked me. Twice." That shut him up and Ash smirked as Paul looked at me with a stony expression before finally lifting a Pokéball.

"Chimchar return. You've got a lot of work to do." He said then turned to walk away. "I hope I don't run into you _losers_ again." In answer, Charizard snorted and a shoot of flames shot out at Paul, who stopped but didn't make another move until his path was clear.

"Return Charizard. Before you set the whole forest on fire." I said, glaring after Paul before smiling at his Pokéball. "Great job today, you take a rest." Once Paul was gone, I turned around. Brock chuckled and slapped my hat back on my head, wriggling it around.

"Great to see you again Ruby. It's been a while."

"That it has Brock."

"So you're Ruby?" The girl questioned and I looked at her. She had indigo hair which she pulled back from her face with twin yellow clips and wore a white beanie hat with pink. She wore a short pink pleated skirt, a white tank top and a black waistcoat that shaped her slim figure perfectly. "The guys talk about you all the time!"

"Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu leaped at me and I giggled, catching him and hugging him tight as I spoke.

"That's right, Ruby Bates. It's nice to meet you." I said, holding out my hand and the girl instantly gripped it tightly with both hands.

"Wow! This is so great! I'm Dawn and I want to be a top coordinator, you can help me practice! Oh this is my partner Piplup, we've only just started working together, it's my first Pokémon journey you see, so Ash and Brock offered to help me out and keep me company. But I'll be so great with you traveling along with us!" She said and I smiled.

"Sure thing. I'd be glad to help you out, though I'm still training myself." I told her as Brock laughed.

"Don't let her be modest. Between her and May, they always put on the greatest shows you could ever see. They both finished in the top four at the Hoenn Grand Festival." Instantly Dawn's eyes sparkled brightly as she clapped her hands together.

"Really? Top four? In your first years as coordinators? That's amazing! Oh I can't wait, this is going to be so great! No need to worry, Dawn is ready to rock and roll with Ruby in tow!" I gave a little laugh, smiling nervously as Pikachu turned to face up at me.

"So Ruby, what are you doing here anyway?" Brock asked as I put Pikachu up on my shoulder.

"Well, I'm here looking for a Riolu or a Lucario, actually. I want to catch one for myself to help with my training. When Professor Oak told me you were coming, I flew straight down to try and find you guys so we could go travelling again. If that's okay of course." I explained but Ash instantly grinned.

"Of course it's okay! You can watch me get all eight badges before I go win the Sinnoh League and beat that stupid trainer Paul! I'll show him how to raise Pokémon the right way." Ash growled at the end so I whacked the back of his head, not even looking at what I was doing.

"Cool it genius. Let's get walking, okay?" I suggested as Dawn stared.

"Is that…normal?" She questioned Brock as Ash groaned on the ground.

"Well actually, that was pretty gentle compared to what Ash is used to." Brock gave a tiny laugh as I pulled out a Pokéball.

"Okay little on, flight's over, so come on out!" My little fluffy bundle of joy instantly appeared in my arms, giving a smile to everyone.

"Eevee?"

"Oh it's so cute!" Dawn squealed, getting closer for a better look. "It's so small, but just look at its shiny fur! You've done a great job raising it, right Piplup?"

"Piplup." Piplup agreed with a proud look on his face, closing his eyes as he lifted his head to try and appear taller, making me giggle.

"Eevee Vee."

"Hey, is this little guy one of Vaporeon's?" Ash asked and I nodded my head.

"Yup. I took one and Gary's going to raise the other. Vaporeon and Umbreon were glad to finally put the responsibility on someone else, I think. They're resting at home now along with all my other Pokémon." I told them all as we began walking. "Professor Oak's research into evolutionary stones is going great, he thinks he's found a major breakthrough."

"Really? That's great! Are you still collecting for him?"

"Only if I find something rare and unique. Otherwise no, he doesn't need me to." I replied. "So Dawn, tell me, have you always wanted to be a coordinator?"

"Yeah! My mom was a coordinator and she's won loads of trophies. I've grown up wishing that one day, I'll be just like her and now I finally can. With Piplup at my side, there's no stopping us now!" Dawn declared, holding up her fist as Piplup copied her stance.

"Piplup!"

"Have you caught any other Pokémon yet?" Instantly their faces fell and their torsos went slack with a groan.

"No need to worry…we'll catch one eventually." Dawn said so I smiled.

"Hey, exactly as you say. No need to worry. You know, it was months before I caught my first real wild Pokémon, even after I'd started on my journey." I said then explained to her how I'd caught each of my Pokémon, the boys adding their own stories as one conversation led to another until finally, we had to stop for the night.

I don't know how many times I'd promised Dawn I'd bake her my famous cookies and brownies one day, but I'm pretty sure it's a promise I'm not going to forget. My little Eevee rode on my shoulder all the time, preferring the fresh air to anything else and he became fast friends with Pikachu, the two of them playing around with Piplup who Dawn also kept out of its Pokéball a lot of the time.

Once we'd had dinner and I'd played everyone a song on my famous flute, we all went to bed peacefully and all slept well until the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay Piplup, try it one more time!" Dawn called and Piplup leaped into the air, closing his eyes and gracefully spun around in a circle mid leap, shooting Bubblebeam out in a circle which eventually swirled into a thick mess as Piplup once again became dizzy from all the spinning. Bubbles rained down like bombs on us, exploding at the ground but I just stood there, holding my ground as I sighed, Eevee sitting between my feet and sighed also. "Oh no…that was a disaster…" Dawn said as her Piplup fell in her arms. "Maybe this move isn't such a great idea."

"The move is fine Dawn. It just needs some practice." I answered simply. "Piplup will get used to the spinning, it's just going to take a little time." I assured her as I walked over to the table and served myself some food. "Now come on. Let's all take a break and eat."

Aipom jumped up onto my shoulder and took my hat, putting it on her own head and I smiled at her. "Hi there mischief, you up to your old tricks?" I asked and she made a load of chimp noises at me before springing to her food as the Pokémon all chowed down.

Brock was raising a baby Bonsly he'd caught a while ago, and Ash had taught Pikachu how to use Volt Tackle whilst also catching Aipom and Starly in the time that I'd been gone. Seems I've missed quite a bit. "What other Pokémon do you have with you Ruby?" Dawn asked me as we sat down. Charizard lazed in the sun and Eevee ate with the others. "Or is Charizard and Eevee the only ones you brought with you?"

"They're the only two. I was planning on catching some more whilst I was out here." I told her. "Though apart from Riolu or Lucario, I'm not too sure what to do with my time. I'd like to do _something_."

"You could try for the Sinnoh Grand Festival." Brock suggested.

"Or the Sinnoh League! You and I can compete against each other again, it'll be fun." Ash said but I just smiled.

"No, I've decided to take a break from competing in anything for a while. My Pokémon have all trained so hard, they've earned themselves a good long rest." Sitting back slightly I gave a smile. "Maybe I should just relax too. Kick back and enjoy the trip, kind of thing."

"Well, you're in the best company to enjoy. If I do say so myself." Brock said and we all laughed before continuing to eat, however after a while we all noticed that Piplup was gone. Instantly May began to panic, frantically looking up, down, under the table and all around before we spotted him leading a group of water type Pokémon through the grass.

"Huh? Where's Piplup going?" Dawn questioned and we all followed, keeping it quiet after we'd returned all the Pokémon. We pushed our way through the bushes and crouched down as Piplup continued to lead on ahead. "I'm afraid to ask, but what's Piplup doing with all those Pokémon?"

"Going on a march?" Ash suggested stupidly and I rolled my eyes.

"Great deduction genius. Let's just follow and find out."

"Right." We all followed at a distance, keeping it inconspicuous however when Ash tripped over his own foot, I casually reached out and gripped the back of his jacket, hoisting him back up to his feet then shot him a wink. "Thanks Ruby."

"No problem genius. It's a wonder you survived this long without me." I teased before we all stopped to see Piplup trying to talk with three Ludicolo.

"Who're those Pokémon?" Dawn asked.

"They're Ludicolo." Brock answered and Dawn checked them out on her Pokédex.

"But why is Piplup talking to them?"

"Looks like Piplup's not happy about something the three of them did." I closed my eyes and pushed out my aura, focusing in on the conversation.

"The Ludicolo have been accused by the other water Pokémon for stealing all their berries, as the Ludicolo were found with a bunch of them however they deny stealing anything at all. Piplup's trying to make a truce and get them to return the berries, but the Ludicolo don't feel like sharing." I told them all and Dawn stared at me.

"Wow! Can you speak Pokémon?" She asked and I chuckled.

"No, of course not. But I can read aura, and it allows me to translate their feelings and emotions into thoughts so I can hear them." Turning my head back, I saw that Piplup was now trying to use brute force to get the Ludicolo to return the berries, however after flying at them with a Peck attack, they parted out of the way and Piplup smacked into something in the water. Was it a rock?

"Piplup!" Dawn ran forwards but as she reached the bank, the water began to bubble and froth slightly until finally a huge Magikarp leaped out of the water, settling on the surface with Piplup gripping onto the dorsal fin until it flipped back and flung him into the water.

"Listen closely is that a voice I hear?"

"Well it's speaking to me loud and clear!" Jessie and James appeared, and I was about to yell at them not to start their stupid motto when I stopped and realised that this was different. Hey, had they finally changed their act?

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"And right in your ear!" Meowth said as he answered Jessie and James's lines.

"Bringing total chaos at a neck breaking pace…"

"Dashing hope and putting fear in its place." This motto is certainly putting fear in me. It's turning out to be just as dull as the last one.

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

"When anything's worse, our work is complete!" James answered Jessie as they twirled around gracefully and posed, James holding his signature rose in his hand.

"Jessie!"

"And James."

"Meowth! Now that's a name!"

"Putting all those do gooders in their place." Jessie began and I prayed that this was finally the finale.

"Team Rocket…"

"We're in your face!" They all chorused together, striking their final pose. I slapped a hand to my face, shaking my head in despair.

"Those guys just don't know when to quit, do they?"

"Whatever you guys are doing here, it can't be good!" Ash yelled out to them as Jessie's Wobbuffet appeared and so did a cute little Pokémon that sat on James's shoulder. Mime Jr, I believe. An adorable Pokémon if there ever was one.

"You're so selfish. Stealing all your Pokémon will be good for _us_." Jessie announced and I folded my arms.

"I'm gone for a year and you three still don't change. Can't you just go out and get jobs like normal, boring adults?" I questioned them but then James yelled back at me.

"Listen tough twerp, we may be adults but stealing is a full time job! It takes a lot of brains you know!" I blinked once at them.

"That explains why you guys have never stolen a single thing." They instantly turned their backs, turning blue as they hugged their knees and spoke together in a despondent voice.

"You didn't have to bring that up you know…" But then Jessie whirled around with an angry snarl.

"Argh! That one makes my hair curl! Let's get 'em all!" She said then dragged the others inside as Piplup finally swam back to the shore, pulling himself out of the water. The Team Rock sub turned around to face us and from the gaping mouth shot out two snares which wrapped around the water Pokémon as well as the Ludicolo and Pikachu, who called out in surprise.

"Piplup! Pip Piplup Pip!" Piplup tried to pull off the snares but when that failed, he attacked the sub instead, making us all gasp in surprise. Ash ran to Pikachu and tried to pull him free as Brock turned to the water Pokémon and they both tried to pull off the ropes but they were stuck fast.

"Wow, your little Piplup sure has some spunk." I said to Dawn who blushed a little.

"Yeah. I guess, I just hope he doesn't get hurt!" She worried as Piplup was thrown off a second time. "Piplup!" Suddenly a bunch of flying Remoraid came shooting out of the Magikarp's mouth and powered against Piplup, knocking him back to shore before they attacked again, making Dawn yelp. "What do I do?!"

"Just think, calm down Dawn and think." I said to her. "You have to call out an attack, think of a strategy that will protect Piplup and get rid of those Remoraid." Dawn gripped her head, unsure of what to do.

"Uh…uh…" Piplup was down and shaking, beginning to give out but then Dawn suddenly gasped. "Piplup! You gave to get up and help those Pokémon! You promised!" She cried out, running forwards. "You can do it Piplup!" Suddenly Piplup opened his eyes, looking up at her as she pointing. "Now, use Bubblebeam, let's go!"

Piplup jumped up into the air, focused and determined with May's prompting and he began to spin, shooting out bubbles in a graceful circle and blew up every last Remoraid, making Dawn smile in success before laughing. "Way to go Piplup! Now Bubblebeam again!" She pointed towards the submarine that Team Rocket were hiding in and Piplup aimed his bubbles down at them, swirling them around on top of the water to create a whirlpool which rattled Team Rocket, snapping the snares and all the Pokémon were released.

"Alright Pikachu, now use Thunderbolt full power, go!" Ash pointed and Pikachu launched up into the air, storing up power as he jumped.

"Pika…CHUUUUU!" His shocking Thunderbolt hit the submarine and it blasted up into the air, shooting Team Rocket out with it.

"Agh! We're _blasting off again_!" They yelled and I giggled before wiggling my fingers at them.

"See you later!" I called before turning back. "How is everyone? Is anyone hurt?"

"We're all just fine!" Dawn said brightly, turning a smile on me as she hugged Piplup. "And you were right! All we needed is some practice. Great job Piplup." She praised before hugging her Piplup again. Just then it began to rain berries, littering down all around us and I caught one in my hand.

"So…I guess Team Rocket were the ones who stole all your berries." I said to the Golduck who hung his head before walking over to the Ludicolo and apologised to them. They took no hard feelings and they even shook hands, forming a friendship before the Pokémon all began to collect their berries together again and we stayed to help before moving on.

With Dawn and Piplup having nailed their Bubblebeam contest move, we were now setting our sights on the road and moving forwards, though I could tell Dawn was just kicking with excitement. Eevee walked at my side for the time being, perfectly calm and never missing a step. Very much unlike his mother. I remember she used to dance and prance around all the time. I guess this Eevee is a lot like his dad.

"Hey Eevee, I got something for you." I said and he lifted a smile up at me as we walked. I pulled a treat out of my pocket and instantly his eyes brightened.

"Vee! Eevee!" He leaped up into my arms and I giggled before feeding it to him, snuggling into his warm fur as he chomped it down then licked my cheek in thanks. "Eevee Vee."

"I love you too. Now, how about we race Pikachu and Ash to the next campsite?" I suggested and Eevee nodded his head.

"Vee." His eyes narrowed competitively and he jumped out of my arms to start running as I called out my challenge to Ash, who instantly took me up on it and we ran together, laughing as the sun began to set around us.


	3. Chapter 3

After a couple of days, _a lot_ had happened. Brock caught a Croagunk after revealing a gym to be fake and only a Team Rocket set up. He wasn't very talkative and mainly just sat there staring blankly out into space, but I could tell he was very attached to Brock.

Dawn finally caught her first wild Pokémon, and it happened to be a powerful Buneary with a crush on Pikachu, which was both cute and a little strange. Especially considering Pikachu had no idea how to act or what to do, so mainly he just hid up on my shoulder or Ash's.

We found out that Aipom has a flair for contests, and Dawn also found a new friend and rival in a girl called Zoey, who in some ways reminded me of Misty. She was also a red headed tomboy. Ash competed alongside Dawn and Zoey, however Zoey won against both of them in the second and third round, finally winning the ribbon from this Carnivine trainer.

Dawn was put out by her loss, but I assured her that it was okay to lose, just as long as you remember there's always a next time and that there's no need to worry. Rather famous words now, they get spoken at least three times a day.

After another run in with Team Rocket after they'd captured a bunch of bird Pokémon, Ash's Starly evolved into Staravia, and later Brock's baby Bonsly evolved into Sudowoodo. It's been an awesome couple of weeks. I'm glad I've got a great camera to capture all the moments.

The only thing that put a downer on our high streak was finding Paul at the first gym Ash was going to battle at. I hated watching him battle. It was…ruthless. I just couldn't do it. The way he was filled with raw pride and this kind of vain insanity that drove him to win, I couldn't stand to watch poor Chimchar get hurt the way he did, so I left.

The guys understood and so did Dawn after they'd explained to her, so I went outside to clear my head, standing in the grassy fields to look up at the sky, clearing my mind as Eevee sat at my side. "Eevee, you and I have a long way to go in this journey. I can feel it." I said to him quietly. "There's just so much out there, I can hardly wait to go and find more new Pokémon and make friends with them, or capture them to help me later with my sanctuary plan."

"Eevee." He nodded his head before standing up, looking determinedly at a tree.

"You want to practice? Okay then. Let's do some training whilst waiting for Paul to finish his battle." I said then pointed ahead of me. "Eevee, use Double Edge!" I ordered and Eevee powered forwards, focusing before ploughing his shoulder into the tree and shook it violently. "Great, now use Shadow Ball." Eevee turned, dodging around before using Shadow Ball up in the air then jumped, focusing on it. "Go for it Eevee!"

Eevee spun around then hit the dark ball with his tail, sending it straight for me and I braced myself, reading for my side of the training. I was about to use a shield block with my aura when something powered into me from the side, making me cry out as I hit the ground and someone landed heavily on top of me. "Are you crazy?" Paul demanded, glaring down at me from his admittedly handsome face.

"Me? What about you? Get off me you creep!" I ordered as he practically lay on me. "I can't breathe!"

"You were just standing there. You can't even keep your own Eevee from attacking you." He said to me, standing up then shoved his hands deep into his pockets, signalling he wasn't going to give me a hand up.

"For your information, that's how I _train_. I've done it loads of times before." I answered him as I got to my feet. Suddenly Eevee sprang between us, facing Paul with an angry expression as he growled, tail lifted high to keep alert. "Calm down Eevee. He's not _much_ of a threat." I said snidely. "So, Ash battling now?"

"No. That loser will battle tomorrow." I am _this_ close to punching him. Just to shut that big fat mouth of his. How dare he insult Ash? In front of me no less! I don't think Eevee liked it either, as he turned around and kicked up a load of dirt into Paul's face, making him jerk backwards.

"My Eevee doesn't like you." I told him simply then turned around. "Again Eevee, Shadow Ball, this time amp up the power, I want to see what you've got." I said, clenching my fists with a competitive smirk as Eevee nodded.

"Vee. Ee…vee!" He called then leaped up into the air, blasting a Shadow Ball at me and I focused on deflecting it. Paul made to move forwards but before he could even take a step, I'd forged my shield wall and the Shadow Ball bounced off, however I could feel its power reverberating like a tremor before it settled again. "Vee?"

"Not bad. Still a little shaky." I said to Eevee as I dropped the guard. "I'm talking about me of course, you were just awesome. Get over here you!" I giggled and opened my arms, giggling as Eevee leaped up into them. That's when I noticed Paul was still standing there, staring at me. "You still here?" I questioned, dropping my smile as he blinked once to recover himself.

"What did you just do?"

"Is it any of your business? I thought you were going anyway." He just continued to stand there, looking at me.

"Battle me." He finally said and my mouth dropped open. Is he kidding me? His Pokémon have just been in a tough gym battle, they've got to be exhausted and in no condition to battle! This guy is crazy. It's official. I don't like him, I don't like his battle style or his stupid floppy hair.

"No." I finalised. "No way."

"Are you scared you'll lose?" He challenged and I instantly flashed him an angry look.

"You've just had a gym battle. Your Pokémon need to be treated and taken care of. There is no way that I'm going to battle you when I know your Pokémon are already tired and most probably injured." I gave him a snide look. "It wouldn't be much of a battle." That touched a chord.

"Fine! I'll get my Pokémon treated, and then we'll battle." He said and I arched an eyebrow at him. He was glaring at me with so much determination that I considered calling out Charizard to chase him away for me so I wouldn't have to look at those intense eyes again. He's a scary kid I'll give him that. No wonder his aura is so repelling.

"Maybe. Treat your Pokémon first. Then we'll see how we feel about battling." I informed then walked away, heading over to the gym to see if I could find Ash and the guys. They were there waiting for them and I gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I ducked out on you guys, but the heat in there was getting a little too hot in there for me to handle."

"That's okay Ruby, we all understand. You don't like Paul's way of battling as much as I don't like the way he trains his Pokémon." I turned to Ash as we began to walk to the Pokémon centre for some rest for the night.

"Why? How does he train?"

"He captures Pokémon then scans them on his Pokédex to see their moves and stats, and if they're good enough he'll keep them but if they're not then he lets them go." Ash told me and my eyes shot wide open.

"What?!"

"Yeah, and if a Pokémon doesn't do well enough in a battle, he'll let it go then as well." Dawn added before briefly recapping the battle Ash had had with Paul where they'd tied, though Ash insisted that Pikachu had hit the ground first. So chivalrous, always playing the game fairly. That's my Ash for you. We were all a bit put down, so I decided to brighten things.

"Hey I know! How about some special cookies?" I offered. "I'll go make them in the Pokémon Centre kitchen right away, so don't any of you move."

"Alright! I finally get to taste Ruby's famous cookies!" Dawn squealed excitedly. "Won't that be great Piplup? I can practically taste them already."

"Piplup Pip!" Piplup agreed and she giggled. So I went away, whipped up a quick batch as well as some brownies in no time flat. It was extremely busy today, so I made sure to keep out of the kitchen staff's way before taking my hoard out to the others about half an hour later.

"Here we go! Fresh from the oven, be careful, they're hot." I warned. "But no need to worry, I've brought milk too." I smiled, holding up the tray and instantly Dawn was grabbing a cookie and a glass of milk. She bit in and instantly she went to heaven.

"They're…so…good!" She squealed then handed one to Piplup. I chuckled and put the tray down as I handed onto to each of the Pokémon at their preference for either brownie or cookie.

"So what's going on?" I asked Ash but Brock answered.

"He's trying to decide which Pokémon to use again Roark. That Cranidos of his is sure going to be tough to beat." He said between chews on a fudgy brownie. Upon hearing the debate having been picked up again, all the Pokémon began to call out, wanting to be picked so Ash waved his hands.

"Alright everybody calm down, I know you all want to get out of here but I can only use three of you." He said as Dawn reached for her fifth cookie. Glad I made a lot otherwise we'd have none left by now.

"Try to understand, out of all of you the only Pokémon good for battling against a rock type is Turtwig, who's a grass type." Brock said to them all as they quietened down and Turtwig pushed his way gently to the front before smiling.

"Twig!"

"Then I'm counting on you and your Razor Leaf Turtwig." Ash said before turning to Aipom. "Of course it is true that Aipom's Focus Punch is really powerful too. Not to mention your Iron Tail Pikachu, which is totally awesome." He noted as they both jumped out with their respective calls. "So, I guess that means I choose all three of you!" He declared and they all jumped up, raring for the battle however Staravia flung out her wings with wide eyes.

"Staravia!" Instantly Dawn picked up on how down Staravia must be feeling at being left out.

"Ah poor Staravia."

"Staravia loves to battle alright." Brock said as Staravia hid her face under a wing as she faced a pillar, wallowing in its own sadness as Ash walked over.

"Man Staravia I'm sorry, but I promise you'll go the next time." Ash vowed as Staravia chirped weakly.

"A promise is a promise. Don't worry." Dawn assured Staravia as Ash stood up and scratched the back of his head.

"And that's when Dawn's mom says she worries the most." He said quietly but Dawn seemed to have heard him as she whirled around and Brock quickly jumped to hold her back.

"What did you say?!" She demanded so I lifted my hand and whacked the back of Ash's head.

"Way to go genius." I said before winking at Dawn. "Come on Staravia, I made a special little batch of cookies with seeds in them, just for you." I said, picking one up and instantly Staravia fluttered over to me, brightening up as I crumbled the cookie in my hand and let her peck it out of my hand in her own time.

"One thing I learned from watching Paul's battle with Roark was Paul's speed making up a huge part to the secret to his victory. Of course his choice of moves was important too but I think the speed put him over the top." Brock said to Ash as he chowed down on another brownie.

"So do I. So what do we do?" He questioned but then Paul's monotonous voice spoke up as he himself walked over.

"Now that should be a no brainer. Just imitate me." Instantly my eyes sharpened.

"I'd never do what you do. I'd never force Chimchar to battle that way for a million bucks!" Ash declared and I was instantly proud of him. Paul turned his head away, partially hiding his smirk but then a little kid ran over to him.

"Hey wow! Thanks a lot for the Azumarill mister, we'll train real hard, so see ya!" He called before dashing off again. Instantly I was on my feet and both Ash and I yelled together.

"What?! You gave him Azumarill?!"

"Yeah? So?" He questioned uncaringly and instantly I felt anger in my chest as Eevee growled on my shoulder.

"Eevee Vee…" I lifted a hand and scratched his ear gently for both our comfort, trying to keep calm.

"Just because it lost?"

"That Azumarill was as good as it was going to get, so there was no point in keeping it." He shrugged simply. This guy had a real nerve. At least he didn't just abandon his Pokémon, otherwise I'd be throttling him right not.

"I thought it was your friend. You could have kept training you know." Ash informed Paul stubbornly but the guy wouldn't get the message.

"That one was a lost cause."

"I don't get you."

"And I thought you wanted to win." Paul said, making Ash blink back slightly. Then he turned on me. "You owe me a battle. Let's go." He ordered and I instantly lifted myself up proudly. That punk thinks he can order me around! Well I'll show him just how wrong he is. I grabbed a cookie and flung it with expert precision, hitting it squarely on the back of Paul's head, making him hiss slightly and grab the affected spot before turning around, seeing the cookie on the floor and my burning glare.

"Ask nicely." I commanded him forcefully and his eyes narrowed.

"My Pokémon are healed, so let's go. I want to see how you battle without you decorating your stupid moves like a contest." He informed me so I grabbed another weapon, a brownie, and threw that at him. This time he caught it, holding it in his hand mere inches before his face before giving it a sniff then held it at his side. We faced one another off, neither caving in. I'm not battling him, not because he orders me too. I'll only battle him to show how strong a weak looking Pokémon can be, and then he'll be begging for mercy. Finally he sighed and looked down with closed eyes. "Please." Satisfied, I nodded my head.

"Let's go Eevee." I said and he leaped off my shoulder, walking proudly at my side as we followed Paul outside. Ash and the others followed, Dawn carrying the tray of cookies, brownies and milk before setting it on the table and the Pokémon jumped up, helping themselves to another serving but Pikachu jumped up onto my shoulder as my little mascot, glaring over at Paul.

"Pika Pika." He growled forcefully and I nodded my head.

"I know Pikachu." I told him. "I'll grind him into the dirt." Once we were a safe distance away from the Pokémon Centre and on flat land, Paul turned to me.

"We'll have a three on three battle."

"I only have two Pokémon." I informed him and he narrowed his eyes slightly as if scrutinising the fact.

"It's okay Ruby, you can use one of my Pokémon if you want. Even Pikachu." Ash said, crossing his arms as he, Dawn and Brock stood by the bench. Dawn blinked in surprise.

"But wait, won't they refuse to listen to Ruby?" She questioned but Ash gave a smile and shook his head.

"Nah, you see, Ruby and I have been travelling around together since we were ten years old, so she knows Pikachu well and he'll do anything she says almost as much as he'd do anything I tell him, and since my Pokémon all trust me and I trust Ruby, they'll listen to her." Ash explained. "There's been loads of times when we've had to rely on someone else's Pokémon, so there won't be a problem."

"Okay then, I'll use Pikachu. You okay with that?" I asked my little yellow friend and he nodded his head.

"Pi." I rubbed his cheek, making him squeal gently as Paul nodded his head. Brock stepped forwards to referee and Eevee stood as my first Pokémon. Paul glanced down at Eevee then gave a little snort, as if he was disappointed by my choice. Maybe he wanted to battle Charizard.

"Let's get this over with. Elekid, standby for battle!" Paul ordered and his electric type Pokémon instantly appeared, spinning its arms to charge itself up.

"Who's going to make the first move?" Brock asked. "We'll flip a coin, Ruby make your call…"

"No need. Ladies first." Paul said, making a gesture at me with his hand so I inclined my head then tilted my hat back and twisted my neckerchief around.

"Eevee. Shadow Ball." I directed and Eevee instantly charged up his attack, gathering dark matter before him before shooting it towards Elekid.

"Thunderbolt, now." Paul ordered and Elekid instantly fired its attack from between the horns on its head, powering it towards Eevee's Shadow Ball to try and break it however the attack was too strong and it broke through, scoring a direct hit against Elekid who was flung back. "No! But how?"

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponent based on looks." I informed Paul simply. "I raise my Pokémon to be strong, just like any other trainer. Some Pokémon I specify for battle, others for contests, but some I train to be great in all areas. So you better watch out, because you don't know what we'll hit you with." I informed him then nodded to Eevee who turned back to face Elekid, waiting for it to make the next move.

"Elekid, use Brick Break, let's go!" Suddenly Paul was concentrating and focused, watching the battle keenly as Elekid leaped for Eevee, lifting its arm high. If that move hits, it'll do a lot of damage being a fighting type move, which has great effect against a normal type like Eevee.

"Dodge by using Dig." I told him and instantly Eevee burrowed underground.

"Standby, be ready Elekid." Paul ordered and the little Pokémon nodded his head before looking at the ground, trying to sense where Eevee will appear from. We waited a brief interval before finally Eevee jumped up from the earth, rising up into the air facing Elekid's back.

"Now use Shadow Ball."

"Dodge then follow up with Thunder!" The heavy swing of Elekid's arms charged up its electric power as it jumped up and Eevee lifted his head. Suddenly he was blasted with a powerful bolt of energy, making Eevee cry out as he landed on the ground, taking the electric attack before breaking it off, shaking it away then glared. Paul took a step back. "It…shook it off."

"Now Eevee, use Swift." I concluded and Eevee instantly sent a jet of stars at Elekid, who took the hits and yelled aloud as it was flung back then hit the dust hard.

"Elekid is unable to battle. The round goes to Eevee." I nodded my head once, still focusing on the battle.

"Great work Eevee, I'm proud of you." Paul returned Elekid without a word, glancing up at me as he did so. The corner of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk before he chose his next Pokémon.

"Murkrow, stand by for battle." The dark flying type Pokémon appeared with a crow, flapping its wings to fly up. "Murkrow use Quick Attack." He ordered and Murkrow instantly dived down.

"Dodge it." Eevee moved so fast and at the very last second so that Murkrow ploughed into the ground, damaging itself. "Now Dig." Eevee jumped up then burrowed underground, forming a hole before springing up again and continuing to dig several holes as Murkrow recovered itself.

"Don't just stand there, use Wing Attack the moment it pops back up again." Paul told his Pokémon impatiently and my brow furrowed slightly. I don't like his attitude.

"What's Ruby doing? Her Dig isn't even making any effect by hitting Murkrow." Dawn wandered but Ash merely smirked.

"Wait and see." Eevee sprung out the ground again having created several tunnels and holes and Murkrow flew forwards with speed, wings glowing as it ploughed for Eevee who was still in mid jump.

"Eevee, summersault now." Eevee tucked up and threw his weight forwards, summersaulting in the air and his movement allowed him to glide over the top of Murkrow's attack. "Shadow Ball." Twisting around in mid-air Eevee shot his attack at Murkrow.

"Double Team, go!" The attack missed due to the quick evasion of Murkrow, but I had anticipated that.

"Into the holes Eevee." I called to him and Eevee instantly dived down. "Now, use Swift!" With multiple Murkrow honking in the air above us, I knew that the only way to take Paul by surprise was by using contest style within our battle, and this move was just for him.

It began raining stars from the ground, shooting up into the air and as they hit all the fake Murkrow, they disappeared from sight until finally we found the real one. Murkrow cried out as it was hit by multiple attacks, the stars simply continuing to come until Eevee finally leaped back out of the ground. "Now, finish it with Shadow Ball." I called out calmly and Eevee powered up his attack before shooting it towards Murkrow who was knocked out of the sky.

"Murkrow is unable to battle. The round goes to Eevee." Brock declared then looked up at the sky, noticing how it was becoming late. "Do you two wish to continue with the third match?" I gave a smirk.

"Why not? Let him try and win a _little_ pride back." Paul shot me a glare before choosing his last Pokémon.

"Chimchar, stand by for battle."

"Chimchar!" I smiled slightly as Chimchar appeared, the cute little Pokémon looking up at me with his big eyes so I gave him a wink, making him smile at me. "Chim!"

"Quit playing around. Use Flame Wheel." Paul ordered and Chimchar flinched, looking back over his shoulder with sad eyes before turning back to the battle. Chimchar leaped up and began to flip, setting himself on fire before shooting towards Eevee.

"Dodge it." I called but as he dodged, Chimchar followed and struck Eevee despite his dodge.

"Now use Scratch." Chimchar opened out, the flames disappearing and began to swipe at Eevee who took the damage as I quickly came up with a counter.

"Shadow Ball at close range." I told him and Eevee instantly blasted Chimchar back from him. "Now, use Swift!" Eevee landed on the ground the same moment Chimchar did and launched the golden stars, letting them swirl around Chimchar to surround him before they all attacked at once, causing Chimchar to cry out.

"Use Flamethrower!" Paul said, not caring how his Chimchar was getting hurt. Chimchar blasted a powerful Flamethrower at Eevee who dodged out the way but the intensity of the flames caught him slightly, giving him a burn on his leg and I flinched slightly for my poor sweet little Eevee.

"Dig Eevee." I told him and he dived down.

"You use Dig too, don't let Eevee escape, then use Flamethrower again." My eyes widened slightly. Suddenly the hole burst with flames, shooting out and Eevee was tossed up from the ground, crying out as he took a lot of damage from the attack and I gasped.

"Eevee!" Chimchar jumped up from the earth and stood there, panting for breath slightly as Eevee lay on the ground, trembling. "Eevee are you okay? Can you get up?" I asked him and slowly, he lifted his head then got to his feet, still determined to win.

"Vee." He said confidently so I gripped my hand into a fist, smirking proudly.

"Alright! Then let's finish this. Eevee? Use Shadow Ball!"

"Dodge it." Paul said smoothly and Chimchar leaped up into the air. Perfect, right where I want him.

"Now Eevee, use Swift to knock Chimchar down." I ordered and Eevee instantly did as I had asked, shooting bright stars at Chimchar and caught him in the air, flinging him backwards. "And now use Double Edge!" Eevee charged forwards with a trail of golden light behind him, his speed picking up until he had slammed his shoulder into Chimchar and he was flung backwards, crying out from the hit before lying face down on the ground.

"Get up. Get up you pathetic wimp." Paul ordered his Chimchar and the loyal little chimp Pokémon pressed his hands on the ground, trying to push himself upright before his elbows caved and he fell down to the ground.

"Chimchar is unable to battle. Eevee wins the round and the winner of the battle is Ruby." Brock declared and I looked at Pikachu with a smile.

"Pikachu!" He praised with a bright grin before I walked over to Eevee and picked him up as he panted for breath.

"You were wonderful Eevee, I'm proud of you." I said to him and his eyes sparkled up at me.

"Vee?" He questioned then licked my chin, making me giggle before I moved over to Chimchar who was hanging his head under Paul's angry glare.

"Hey there Chimchar." I said gently, sitting down on the ground then lifted him up into my arms, making him blink. Pikachu jumped off my shoulder as I unslung my backpack and pulled out some Super Potion as Eevee sat down in front of me, tail swishing over the grass. "Here, you look a little rough. How about I fix you both up a bit?" I offered then sprayed them both. Instantly their scrapes and messy appearance cleared away and Chimchar brightened.

"Chimchar!" I giggled as he lifted his hands high.

"You're welcome. You were great you know, you have one strong Flamethrower. I think you're going to grow up to be a very powerful Pokémon one day. You just have to believe in yourself, and ignore what _others_ may tell you." I said with a pointed look at Paul who turned his head away with a gruff sound.

"Please, Chimchar should have _easily_ have beaten your Eevee. Just goes to show how useless it really is." Chimchar hung his head and I was about to retort back when Paul held out a Pokéball. "Chimchar return." When he was gone from my lap, I stood up, Eevee in my arms and Pikachu back on my shoulder.

"What is wrong with you?!" I demanded to know angrily. "Can't you see how depressed you're making Chimchar feel? Pokémon have feelings too you know!" I yelled at him but then something began to tickle the back of my mind. "Wait a minute…I've heard your voice before." I realised, thinking back carefully.

"What?" Paul looked at me as if I were a freak, but I ignored him. I could suddenly remember meeting Froslass, the Pokémon who had been abandoned by its trainer after they had forced it to evolve. I'd heard that trainer's voice through her memory…and I was hearing it again now.

"It was _you_!" I suddenly yelled, growing furious. "YOU abandoned that Froslass back in Hoenn, the one who almost hurt an entire forest full of Pokémon and I had to go and rescue it! _You're_ the one who forced her to evolve!" Paul blinked at me.

"How can you know that?"

"Because Froslass told me so! She's _my_ Pokémon now, back in Kanto. She helps Professor Oak at the lab and she's happy there, in case you were wondering." I snarled dangerously. "Trainers like you make me sick, you have no care for Pokémon, you just use them as a means to win!"

"That's all they are. Tools you have to use to get to the top, and that's where I'm going." Paul said shortly. "That Froslass was weak, even after I evolved it. I wasted a rare stone on that pathetic loser. I'm glad I got rid of it." Ash and Brock were smart to have run over to restrain me, as I had just about flung myself at Paul to give him a pounding.

Eevee had jumped from my arms and was standing in front of me, glaring up at Paul as the boys tried to calm me down, however I wasn't in a listening mood. "Let me at him, LET ME AT HIM!" Paul rolled his eyes before walking off.

"I'm out of here." He declared so I shouted after him.

"I'll show you! I'll show you how to raise strong Pokémon the RIGHT way! You rude, stuck up, arrogant little brat!" I shouted after him and Eevee nodded his head in agreement with a short humph.

"Wow, now I see what you mean she's hard to handle." Dawn said to Ash as she held Piplup in her arms for safety.

"Yeah, Ruby sure knows how pack a punch. I should know, she's been hitting me with it for a long time." Ash chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. I calmed down and took a deep breath, reaching up to rub Pikachu's head then scooped up Eevee in my other arm so that he could get some rest. "Hey Ruby, how you feeling?"

"Okay." I said with a sigh. "It's just…I don't like the way he treats his Pokémon." Looking up I gave Ash a confident looked. "Ash, you better win your match tomorrow, otherwise Paul won't ever respect the way we train our Pokémon." Turning my head I looked back to see Paul's retreating figure, growing smaller and smaller as he walked.

What surprised me, however, was when he stopped and looked back and our eyes met, exchanging looks before I quickly turned my head away. Looks like Ash has found himself a new rival, and me? Well, let's just say I wouldn't mind grinding Paul into the ground as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Dawn was very happy. She was very, _very_ happy. She'd just caught her third Pokémon, a very sweet and speedy Pachirisu, however she was having a little trouble dealing with its playful nature. It was just so fast and all it wanted to do was play instead of practice for Dawn's next contest. At one point, Dawn was so distressed that she told me that she was considering releasing it back into the wild, however I put my foot down.

"No." I told her firmly. "You've only had that Pokémon for a day. You caught it, so it's _your_ responsibility to train it and teach it." I must have looked frightening as Dawn reared back away from me. "Sure, Pachirisu may be a little playful and doesn't listen to you now, but that comes in time. It's obviously still a very young and inexperienced Pokémon, so you have to teach it the difference between work and play. The thing to do is establish a bond first, that'll mean Pachirisu will grow attached to you and will be more likely to listen. So tomorrow, just play around with Pachirisu and when you do training with Buneary and Piplup, let it watch you so that it'll get an idea of what you're talking about." Dawn hung her head.

"I'm a hopeless coordinator." She groaned so I sighed then rested my hand on her back.

"No, you're just still learning, same as me. Just because I'm older doesn't mean I know everything, I'm bound to make mistakes just like you will, and that's okay." We'd left Roark's gym the other day, Ash having battled him twice. The first time didn't go to plan, although Ash was great with his strategy, Roark was just a little too tough to crack. Both Ash and I were a little ticked off when Paul left with a satisfied smirk on his face, however we both pushed him out of our minds and I helped Ash to train a little more before we went back and he won his first Sinnoh badge.

We were on our way to Dawn's next Pokémon Contest, however on the way, we found ourselves walking down a road up over a hill which turned into a wide field full of amazing and sweet smelling flowers. "Wow! What a beautiful field of flowers!"

"Vee!"

"Pika Pika!" The Pokémon both agreed and I chuckled as Eevee leaped out of my arms and jumped into the flowers, sniffing them before he selected a violet, which he picked carefully then brought it over to me as I crouched down.

"Ah…is that for me?" I asked and he nodded his head, standing up and pressing his paws against my knee to offer me the pretty flower. "Thank you Eevee, it's beautiful." I said with a smile, taking it and I tucked it into the leather braid around my hat before picking Eevee up again.

Suddenly a large shadow flew overhead and we all gasped, looking up to see a red and blue Pokémon flying quickly over to the nearby cottage. "Whoa! What was that?" Ash questioned as I brought out my updated Pokédex from Professor Oak.

"Salamance, the dragon Pokémon. As a result of a powerful desire to fly, Salamance were able to trigger the cells in their bodies and cause them to grow wings." My Pokédex informed me and I looked up ahead once more as Ash called out.

"Someone's riding it!" The dragon Pokémon landed in the front garden where a woman and her Gardevoir were watering the flowers. We couldn't hear what they were saying, however when the rider called out an Ariados and used String Shot to tie up the woman, we all gasped. "She needs help, let's go!" We all rushed forwards as the now apparent Pokémon hunter turned on Gardevoir, who smartly tried to Teleport away however the hunter somehow managed to locate its next position by using the glasses she wore.

Around her wrist was a tool that shot a single blast at the Gardevoir and turned it into a bronze looking statue, making us all gasp in shock. What's going on? This doesn't look good at all. Without warning a heavily armoured truck drove over the hill and a plate shot out, collecting the Gardevoir and a case appeared over it like a dome, bring it back to the truck which then drove away as the Salamance flew off with the hunter.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked as we reached the lady.

"I'm fine, just please help me get my Gardevoir back!" She begged so both Ash and I nodded our heads as Brock and Dawn tried to free her.

"You can count on it!" We chorused before racing after the truck together. We stopped at the road edge, seeing the truck speeding away however we saw that the road snaked its way down and across the cliff with a clear way down for us both. So together we jumped and began to slide our way down to the road, however Ash lost his balance and tumbled on ahead. "Ash! Be careful!" I called as he landed at the bottom. The truck was racing towards him so he reacted quickly.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

"Eevee, Shadow Ball!" I called as I continued to slide down but I tossed Eevee up into the air to give him some lift and he helped Pikachu's attack, slamming into the truck however neither of them did any damage whatsoever, it just carried on. "Ash, move!" I yelled as I reached the road and I tackled him around the middle and pushed us both out the way, pulling him to safety as Eevee and Pikachu landed together beside us.

The truck skidded to a halt and turned sideways on, blocking the road as if to trap us. "Very impressive moves." The Pokémon hunter said as her Salamance lowered down to the ground slowly, the woman standing tall and proud on its back.

"Hey!" Ash yelled out to her. "You can't just steal Pokémon!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed and I nodded my head once, focusing on the hunter as she faced us.

"That's quite a Pikachu you got there. It'll fetch a good price, and that Eevee is something that will always find a high bidding buyer." She said and I looked down to my Eevee who narrowed his eyes, glaring upwards without fear.

"Our Pokémon are not up for capture, now give back Gardevoir!" I ordered but the corner of her lips only turned upwards into a slight smirk.

"No can do. Go." She said blankly and she let out her third Pokémon of the day, a Drapion with long body and tail, formed of alternating colours of purple rocks.

"Drapion, the ogre scorp Pokémon. Its claws give off a deadly poison and they are powerful enough to turn an automobile into scrap iron." Ash's Pokédex informed him, her bright voice contrasting with the gravity of the situation.

"I'd love to see Pikachu's other moves, so bring it on." The hunter invited and Ash instantly took the bait.

"Alright, Volt Tackle!" Ash ordered and Pikachu surged forwards, powering with surges of electric energy that sparked off him as he made for his opponent.

"Dodge it." The hunter ordered and her Drapion leaped up into the air, avoiding the attack altogether and Pikachu skidded to a halt dangerously close to the hunter. "Marvellous! No doubt you're worth quite a lot!" She declared as she aimed her capturing beam at Pikachu. No!

"Eevee, use Swift, go!" I ordered and Eevee instantly attacked, aiming straight for the hunter who gasped and shielded her face, though her Drapion lifted a claw to protect her from the attack. "You're not taking Pikachu, not whilst I still have something to say about it!" I yelled at her as Eevee jumped to Pikachu's side.

The hunter didn't say anything, merely growled and aimed again and my eyes widened. "No!" both Ash and I cried out together, however I moved faster. In three steps I had run over to the Pokémon as the beam shot out, Pikachu bravely standing in front of Eevee to protect him however I thrust out my hands and the shield appeared with me pouring everything I had into it.

The beam deflected and the hunter's eyes widened in alarm as I stood there, protecting my Pokémon but all too soon, she had recovered. "Drapion, get her." Drapion's tail ploughed through my shield as I lost my burst of concentrated power and I cried out as I was picked up and lifted away from the Pokémon.

"Pika!"

"Vee!"

"Ruby!" Ash was flung back by a powerful claw, leaving him to be slammed against a rock.

"Ariados." The hunter called and her Pokémon used String Shot, tying up Ash to the boulder as it held down Eevee and Pikachu. "And now, for my catches. You will all be prized treasures, don't worry." She assured Pikachu and Eevee and then, with two beams of her capturing gear, they were both turned into statues.

"No! My Eevee!" I yelled before growling at the hunter. "You're not getting away with this, when I get out of here, you'll be sorry! You're not taking my Eevee away from me!"

"My dear, who says you'll be separated? You're coming with me." My face paled. "A girl of your talents is worth more than all these Pokémon put together. I'm not about to miss up this golden opportunity." She said and then, before I knew it, Drapion had dropped me on the ground and I fell, hands on the hard ground as I then looked up. "Say goodnight." The hunter spoke as I looked up, my face full of alarm until finally, the last I saw was a flash of light before my world went black.

Frozen and completely useless, I was stuck in place until somehow, someone freed me from my dome. I gradually got my sense of feeling back, starting with the hand I had held out to uselessly shield myself before I took a deep breath and became weak, shutting out on the disk that had carried me to a strange room. What had happened?

"Ruby! You're okay!" Ash said and instantly my head jerked up.

"Ash? What happened? How did you get here?" I asked but then laughed as the dome around me disappeared and I leaped off the table into his arms, the both of us smiling and laughing as his hands gripped my waist and he spun me around.

"Man, am I glad you're okay." Ash said as Pikachu leaped up onto his shoulder.

"Pikachu Pi!"

"Hey Pikachu!"

"Eevee!" Eevee jumped into my arms and I held him tightly as Turtwig and Aipom both crowded around, Aipom standing with one foot on my shoulder and the other on Ash's as Turtwig nuzzled his head against my leg, the six of us holding one another close.

"When you froze over, I guess you couldn't hear or see a thing. Hunter J brought you here but Melodi's Kirlia used its psychic powers to see where J would strike next, so we found her kidnapping an Absol and when the truck stopped, I snuck underneath with Team Rocket." That's when I noticed them standing there, hugging Meowth.

"Free at last!"

"Not for long." The henchmen appeared and instantly Ash gripped onto me tightly, pushing me back behind him.

"Still ugly as ever." James said to them as Team Rocket proudly faced them down.

"Stupid too. You want to mess with _us_?" I have to admit, I admire Jessie's spunk. You know, if Team Rocket weren't the bad guys always trying to steal our Pokémon, I think I'd really like them. They're quite cool from time to time.

"Then you're dumber than you look!" Meowth insulted and the lead henchman yelled in anger.

"Golbat let's go! Steel Wing!" Ash pushed me behind him and I held Eevee in my arms, picking up Turtwig as well as he faced the new opponent.

"Okay Pikachu, Volt Tackle let's go!" He called and Pikachu instantly powered forwards, cancelling out the Steel Wing and knocked Golbat back, however surprisingly it got back up and faced Pikachu again.

"Supersonic!" It flew up into the air and began to send a shock wave all around us, making my ears sting as I hunched down and gripped the two Pokémon close, Aipom clinging to my back with eyes tightly clenched shut.

"Use Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he clamped his hands down over his ears and Pikachu quickly put a stop to the attack, however as the Golbat fell, some excess electrical energy sparked off and ploughed into the wall outside the door, the henchmen all parting to avoid being hit but in doing so, the wall breached and air began to be sucked out like a vacuum, forcing me to grab onto the table and hook my legs around similar to Ash as I held the Pokémon close to keep them safe. "Turtwig, Aipom return!" Ash called smartly then sent out his flying Pokémon. "Staravia, tell Officer Jenny where we are!" He yelled over the blast of wind.

Suddenly the hanger we were in gave a jolt and I was ripped free from my stable ground and I cried out, sliding along the floor towards the vent but Ash reached out and grabbed my hand. "Hold on!" He yelled, gripping me tightly as I held on with all my strength. "I think we're falling!"

"J must have cut us off from the main ship!" I said, looking back to see that we were indeed falling. "We're going to crash!" Team Rocket instantly began to wail, clinging onto one another as we all plummeted to our deaths. Wait, Gardevoir! "Gardevoir, you can save us!" I yelled and she opened her eyes to look at me. "Just use Teleport!" Instantly she relaxed and closed her eyes, concentrating and then in a blink of an eye, I was on the ground, holding Ash's hand as we both clung to our Pokémon. Safe and sound.

Exhaling with relief I went limp, letting my grip go slack however Ash pulled me to him and held me in his arms, holding me close. "That sure was scary." He said as I put my arms around him, smiling softly.

"Agreed. Let's not do it again." I announced and he nodded his head before helping me to stand. Suddenly the guys were there, Staravia leading the way and Officer Jenny lassoed the henchmen, capturing them all at once.

"Ash! Ruby! Are you guys okay?" Dawn asked and I nodded my head, holding Eevee in a hug as he licked my cheek.

"We're all fine Dawn, thanks to Gardevoir." I said, looking over to where trainer and Pokémon were reunited once again. That reminds me. I walked over to the Absol case and turned down the sliding switch, releasing it and I reached out to stroke its fur as it blinked. "Hey there Absol, you're safe now. You can go home to your trainer." I told it and Absol blinked at me before smiling happily.

"Absol!" With that it jumped forwards and began to lick my face, making me giggle as finally, the danger passed us by and we all relaxed a little. J however still played on my mind. The way she captures other people's Pokémon is cruel and heart breaking for the trainers. I'll bring her down myself if I have to, but I'm not going to stop until everyone gets back their Pokémon. Every single one of them.


	5. Chapter 5

With Dawn's training going so well, we were all certain that she would do great in the Pokémon Contest she was aiming for next. Right now Pachirisu was giving off a fireworks display of crackling electricity after Pikachu had demonstrated how to store up energy in its cheeks.

As a reward for working so hard, Dawn gave her Pokémon a poffin each, which is a Sinnoh specialty and Dawn was in the process of teaching me how to make them, though I hadn't quite got the perfect recipe yet for my Pokémon. I'm still used to making them Pokéblock.

However when Pachirisu begged for more, Dawn refused, saying that she had to earn her poffins by working hard and Pachirisu…well she didn't like that. In a temper tantrum, she blasted us all with Discharge, making every hair stand up on end and we all cried out until Pikachu zapped Pachirisu out of its little upset.

We all fell to the ground groaning, though I had managed to fall against Ash and he was pretty comfortable to relax on, so I recovered myself there. "Oh…not my hair again…" Dawn complained as her hair stuck up on end. I took off my hair, shook out my hair and sure enough, it stood up like wire, making me giggle and snap a photo of everyone though Dawn hastily tried to hide. "No! Not looking like this!"

"Come on Dawn, we all look great!" I teased but put my camera away regardless.

"Hey, Dee-Dee!" Someone called out and Dawn's head instantly shot up.

"Dee-Dee?" Ash and Brock both frowned.

"Dee-Dee?" They both questioned together as Dawn gave a yelp then leaped to her feet.

"Only one guy knows that name!" She said in alarm as a kid walked over with reddish brown hair.

"That's right. Good to see you kid." He said and Dawn instantly jumped back.

"Kenny! It is you!" She yelped as he chuckled and smiled before looking pointedly to her hair, which still stood bolt upright without giving any indication of it being fixable.

"And loving that do." He said and Dawn instantly scrambled to try and flatten it down, scraping her fingers through it.

"Anybody can have a bad hair day." She excuse quickly as I sprayed mine with a special ointment which took out all the frizz and static, so I walked over to Dawn, pulled off her hat then sprayed it on hers too. After I'd found this stuff exists in Sinnoh, I'd made it a point to buy some, seeing as between Pachirisu and Pikachu, you were bound to get zapped by their electricity one time or another.

"Well what do you know, Dee-Dee's got herself a Pikachu. Dee-Dee's all grown up." Kenny said, looking down to the Pikachu that was standing beside us as I gently worked through Dawn's hair.

"Stop calling me that! And it's not my Pikachu, it's his!" She pointed at Ash as he and Brock walked over.

"And I'm Ash." He introduced politely.

"And my name's Brock." He chuckled as he scooped up Pachirisu as she began to chase her tail. I stuck my head around and gave Kenny a smile.

"Name's Ruby, it's nice to meet you Kenny." I told him and he waved.

"Hi, nice to meet you too. Have you all just met or are you travelling together?" He questioned so Dawn answered.

"We've been travelling since I started my Pokémon journey. Ash is a great battler and he's entered in the Sinnoh league, but Brock is working to be a Pokémon breeder and he's awesome at what he does." Dawn explained before turning to me as I stepped back from her hair, which was now shiny and perfect once again. "And Ruby is a coordinator, battler, medic, baker and all round awesome friend! She even fixes my hair for me." She laughed as I blushed a little.

"Come on Dawn, just lending you a hand." I said as I tossed back my loose hair however as I did so, Ash's eyes widened.

"Wow…Ruby…your hair." He said and I blinked in confusion.

"What? Is it still sticking up?" I asked but he shook his head.

"No it's just…you look like a girl with it down." Instantly I glared at him then whacked the back of his head.

"What's that supposed to mean genius? I _am_ a girl, so of course I have long hair!" I yelled down at him as I groaned but then pointed up feebly as I protectively ran a hand through my dark brown locks.

"Yeah but it's curly." I blushed a little this time. My hair has a mind of its own. Since I've been growing it out, it's just gotten thicker and waver. Not the pin straight locks I used to have as a kid. Grumbling under my breath I pulled it all back into a ponytail then stuffed my hat back on my head.

"Stupid curls." Everyone else laughed at our expense as Dawn helped Ash back to his feet and then we all sat at a little café outside to talk. I asked Dawn how she knew Kenny so she began to explain to us all.

"Kenny left from Twinleaf Town to start on his journey before I did. We've known each other since nursery school and we used to play together _a lot_. I'm trying to remember your first Pokémon." She said to him so he stood up with a smile just for her.

"I'll show you. Come on out and meet everybody!" Kenny called and then revealed his Prinplup, which stood tall and proud.

"Wow, a Prinplup!"

"Then that means you chose a Piplup as your started Pokémon." Ash said as he pulled out his Pokédex to listen to the information there whilst I sipped on my chocolate milkshake.

"Prinplup, the penguin Pokémon and the evolved form of Piplup. One blow from its wings is strong enough to chop down trees." That's pretty cool. I bet Misty would love to have a Piplup so she could train with it. Maybe I'll ask her when I next go to see her and I'll try catch her one, or make her take a holiday so she can come with me.

Meanwhile Piplup had walked over to greet Prinplup, however the proud, taller Pokémon swiped out a flipped and knocked little Piplup to the ground. "Hey! What was that for?!" Dawn demanded and Kenny blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, Prinplup sometimes gets a little freaked out if anyone gets in its space." He explained guiltily. "I'm the only one that Prinplup doesn't have a problem with." He said and, sensing an argument ensuing, I got up and walked over with two sugar cubes in my hands.

"Come on guys, let's all be nice." I said, walking straight over to Prinplup with a soothing aura which instantly made it relax. "Here, maybe this will sweeten you up." I said and gave one sugar cube to Prinplup and the other to Piplup. They both swallowed their share hole and Prinplup finally gave me a smile.

"Prinplup!"

"Huh? That's amazing, I've never seen Prinplup warm up to someone so fast." Kenny said as I rubbed the back of Prinplup's head, turning a smile to him.

"What can I say? I'm a unique personality." I informed him before giving a giggle. Eevee jumped up onto my shoulder and we nuzzled noses before I went back to my milkshake, letting him have a taste as Kenny challenged Ash to a battle after turning down Dawn's. She wasn't all impressed, but Kenny wanted to battle to get stronger, so he wanted to face Prinplup against Pikachu.

The battle was going great, that is until Team Rocket got in the way. In the middle of the battle, the battlefield was filled with a Haze, causing everyone to cough and close their eyes to keep them from stinging. I covered Eevee's mouth and nose with my neckerchief, pulling it free from my neck until Ash called out his Staravia. "Staravia, come out and use Gust!" He called and she flew up and blew the smoke away, clearing the field from the smog so that we could breathe easy again.

Instantly we found James holding open a bag with Seviper using Wrap on Prinplup, holding him steady as the others stood guard. "It's Team Rocket! What're you doing?" Ash demanded as James yelped, caught in their criminal act.

"Hey, where's Jessie?" Brock questioned, seeing that the team was one member short although her Pokémon were there.

"Getting her nails done if you don't mind." James answered back and Dawn blinked.

"Nails done?" She repeated in disbelief but Kenny was turning to his Prinplup.

"Come on Prinplup, with your power you can get out of that hold." He encouraged but Seviper was holding on too tight and Prinplup's flippers were trapped at his sides.

"Sorry to interrupt the twerp party, but Dustox's Poison Sting just sucked the wind out of Prinplup's sails super big time." Meowth revealed as he jumped over Seviper, smirking at us all as Kenny gasped, wide eyed before growling.

"Don't worry, I'm getting you out of there!"

"Not if they have anything to say about it!" James answered, sending out his two Pokémon but they both clung onto him with needles and mouth, making him shriek. "Agh! Cacnea Pin Missile, Carnivine Bullet Seed and _I'm_ taking a nap…" James moaned as both Pokémon turned and fired their attacks at Kenny and Ash as they ran forwards.

"Look out!" Ash yelled but then I stood in front of them, skidding to a halt and flung out my hands to create my shield, which rattled and made me bite back the pain that shot up my arms upon impact of the combined attacks but at least it held. "Gee Ruby, thanks."

"No problem genius." I told him with a smile over my shoulder. Dropping my stance the shield disappeared and I faced Team Rocket. "Now, you let Prinplup go before I get real mad, and you guys know that I'm not fun to deal with when I'm mad." I warned them darkly however James lifted a finger and waved it at me.

"I don't think so. One move closer and Prinplup gets it." He said as Seviper used Poison Tail, making the bladed end glow as he pressed it towards Prinplup. Pikachu and Piplup both stood together, Pikachu's cheeks crackling with electricity as he stored up power but Ash smartly stopped him.

"No Pikachu, if you use Thunderbolt, then you could really hurt Prinplup." Pikachu stopped and stood upright, glaring over at Team Rocket as they inched their way backwards.

"Now don't move." James ordered with a smirk as he and the others all began to scoot back.

"It's time for us to be sliding on out of here." Meowth crowed as they continued to slip backwards, however they stopped and looked at one another, having the same thought at the same time. "Why don't we go for broke? Now would be a good time to make you dumb twerps blast off for a change!" Meowth called and all their Pokémon sent attacks straight at us and I instantly stepped forwards in front of everyone, preparing to protect them all but then Piplup jumped up into the air.

"No Piplup!" Dawn called but then Piplup lifted his flippers up into the air and his entire body began to glow with an opal like sheen, making everyone gasp. "What's that? It looks like Bide but different!" Dawn gasped, staring as a rush of water suddenly spiralled out above Piplup, forming a huge swirling cone which deflected all the attacks. "Piplup, what is that?"

"It's Whirlpool!" Kenny informed us all. "Whirlpool traps your opponents and causes them damage over and over again." Dawn suddenly smirked, looking ahead to Team Rocket with a vengeance.

"That sounds like just what we need. Alright Piplup, use Whirlpool!" She directed and Piplup flung the Whirlpool attack at Team Rocket, hitting them all with a fast spinning current of water as I folded my arms and regarded Piplup closely. He's one special Pokémon for sure.

Suddenly Prinplup began to absorb power from the whirlpool, reviving his strength before he leaped out of Team Rocket's clutches and broke through the water, stopping it in its tracks before landing beside Piplup. Just then Team Rocket tried to creep away.

"Oh no you don't! You're not getting off that easy." Dawn announced as she cracked her knuckles.

"That's an understatement." Kenny agreed as they stood behind their aquatic Pokémon. "Use Bubblebeam!" They chorused together and I smirked as both Piplup and Prinplup leaped up into the air before hitting Team Rocket with explosive power, forcing them high up into the air and they disappeared from sight.

"Piplup, you were great!" Ash said as we all walked over.

"Learning a brand new move right before our next contest is an awesome thing to do!" Dawn said proudly and happily as she hugged Piplup close to her.

"You know Dawn, that's a special Piplup you got there." I said to her and she smiled over at me. "Normally that move wouldn't be learned until after Piplup is evolved into its final form, but your Piplup is strong enough to handle it." I gave her a wink. "He sure is special."

"Don't I know it." She giggled and hugged him again as Piplup chirped proudly. So the next day was the contest, which was a total blast. With Piplup having learned Whirlpool, there was no stopping Dawn from winning that ribbon, despite her being up against Kenny and Prinplup in the final round. The battle was beautiful and intense, neither coordinators missing a beat until finally, the time was called and Dawn emerged victories. You should have seen the tears of joy on her face when she ran to us before calling her mother Joanna.

We said goodbye to Kenny after that then celebrated together where I baked a special cake for Dawn, congratulating her with an iced picture of her first ribbon along with Pachirisu and Piplup, who helped her win it. The entire thing was gone before you could say Pikachu.


	6. Chapter 6

We had just entered a forest with lots of light and space and stopped to have lunch, however after we'd packed away, Aipom suddenly shot off, calling out and we had to chase after her as she swung through the trees, leading us away. "Aipom! What're you doing? Come back!" Ash yelled as we all ran.

Eevee bounded in front of me, focused up on Aipom as she jumped from branch to branch before getting down and climbing up onto a tree where she began to lick some honey alongside a bunch of other forest Pokémon.

"Whoa! Check it out!" Ash said as he came to a halt before the tree, looking up to see all the other Pokémon licking away at a golden syrup that was stuck on the tree.

"Of course! It's honey." Brock informed us all, recognising the sticky sap. "Pokémon are attracted to the sweet smell of honey." Eevee sniffed the air and gave a little smile, stepping forwards then turned his head back to give me a lopsided smile.

"Vee?" I giggled then picked up him.

"Do you want to try some too? Then here you go." I lifted him up high and Aipom shifted over to give Eevee some space and he began to lick at the sweet honey, careful not to get it on his fur. Suddenly the bushes rustled and a little Pokémon popped out, covered in leaves with a dark body.

"Hey! It's a Burmy!" Dawn called with a giggle as the Burmy roped a branch and lifted himself up into the air as he chanted, trying to swing close to get some honey as I stepped back with Eevee in my arms giving a chuckle as the Burmy fell down.

"Burmy? Burmy! Burmy-Burmy-Burmy-Burmy!" It yelped as it scrambled to collect back the leaves to stick it to the fine hairs on his body. A young woman suddenly appeared with her Chansey, her hair dark green and eyes bright blue as she faced the Burmy.

"Chansey, use Attract." She said, focusing on the Burmy as Chansey gave a kiss and golden hearts flew out towards Burmy, hitting him and instantly he fell in love with Chansey. Awesome! Great strategy. "It's working Chansey! Which means you're exactly the kind of Burmy we've been waiting for, how beautiful." She said serenely but then Dawn called out to her quickly.

"Wait! If you want to catch a Pokémon for sure then you need to attack!"

"She's right!" Brock declared, a deep blush on his face as he grinned stupidly. "In the same way your beauty is attracting my heart right now!" But the lady ignored his comment, still looking at Dawn with a sweet smile.

"I'm grateful for such good advice from a girl I haven't even met. Chansey, use Double Slap!" She said calmly but brightly, looking to the battle as her Chansey began to Double Slap the Burmy, which somehow woke it up out of its infatuation and it ducked before using Tackle. "Wow what a great Tackle! Now Chansey, let's use another Double Slap!" Chansey went for the Burmy again but he shielded himself with Protect. "Now use Egg Bomb!" Taking the egg shaped stone out of its pouch Chansey flung it at Burmy, shattering his Protect and left him lying on the ground, groaning. "That's perfect, go Pokéball!"

The Pokéball was flung forwards and after two shakes of a Rattata's tail, the Burmy was successfully caught. "I've finally done it, at last this Burmy is mine!" She proclaimed, lifting the Pokéball up into the air as we all ran forwards.

"You sure did, my name's Ash." My genius friend introduced before he slung an arm around my shoulders with a grin. "And this is Ruby, we're both from Pallet Town."

"Hi!" I greeted warmly.

"And my name's Dawn. You put the honey on that tree, didn't you?" She questioned and the green haired woman nodded her head.

"Right. People call me Cheryl the treasure hunter. A pleasure to meet you and thanks for your help." She said to us whilst bowing her head gratefully, however Brock couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"A treasure hunter? I've always wanted to _be_ a treasure! So someone like you would take my hand and treasure me forever. Catch me next!" He lunged forwards as Croagunk appeared out of his Pokéball to snap Brock out of his senses, but then Cheryl moved out of the way, not letting him take hold of her hands.

"Like my beloved grandfather always said, once you've caught a bug type Pokémon, you may never hold hands with a man again, you see?" She questioned then looked back to Brock with a soft smile. "He also said that if you happen to see a Spearow in the west, you will have much good luck brought upon you. I saw that Spearow today and now I have my Burmy." She gave a giggle.

"Hey, how about a tea break?" I suggested to everyone, shifting Eevee up onto my shoulder as Ash pulled his arm away. "Let's all sit down and relax for a while."

"Oh, what a wonderful idea." Cheryl agreed with me so we all spread out the blankets, boiled some water over a fire and made tea for everybody.

"So Cheryl, why do you need a Burmy so bad?" Ash and I asked together at the same time, making us look up and grin at one another. Old habits die hard it seems.

"I need a male Burmy to evolve into a Mothim, so that I can use him to help me find the enchanted honey." She explained and we all looked at her before chorusing.

"The enchanted honey?" We echoed and she giggled.

"It's a honey that's said to be a hundred times sweeter than normal honey. I want it, and that's just what I came here to find." She explained and I smiled. I could make some awesome flapjacks with honey like that.

"Hundreds of times, that's gotta be strong stuff. Hey Ruby, if you had some, would you make us some flapjacks with it?" I laughed aloud, shaking my head as the genius practically read my mind.

"Sure I would Ash. You took the words right out of my mouth." I told him but then Cheryl gasped.

"Look! It's an Illumise and Volbeat!" She pointed up and we looked to see the two bug type Pokémon fly overhead, hand in hand. "How wonderful, that means you two must be in love and destined to be together!" She sang happily but Ash and I both spat out our tea, shocked by her words.

"What?!"

"My grandfather always said, those who sit under the path of a Volbeat and Illumise will find love with one another, it's very romantic and you both seem very close." She said with her innocently serene smile as I just stared.

"Ash is an idiot, I'd never date _him_. Besides, he's like my brother!"

"Yeah and she's a bossy know it all, she's like my sister!" Instantly I glared at him.

"What was that genius?" I demanded then whacked him on the back of his head, Pikachu jumped up to avoid getting involved as Ash planted his face into the ground. "I'll show you bossy!"

"Ow…see what I mean?" Ash groaned but Cheryl only giggled. Dawn decided to change the subject back to the honey before any more arguments or violence broke out.

"So what makes you think you can find the honey all the way out here?" She questioned so Cheryl rummaged around in her bag before pulling out a sheet of parchment and showed it to us.

"Look at this." She invited and we all crowded close. Eevee stepped forwards and sniffed it curiously before turning his head and sneezing, making me squeal in adoration before hugging him to me. The little cutie. "This makes it all possible. It's a map of the Eterna forest, and this cross marks where I'm headed." She explained, pointing to the red cross near the top of the map. "It's the Amber Castle."

"Wow, a castle?"

"It's a secret castle that no one's ever been to before, and that's where the enchanted honey is rumoured to be." Cheryl told us all and Dawn instantly jumped up with an excited squeak.

"It's all so exciting and mysterious!"

"I know, why don't we go with you and help you look?" Ash suggested, standing up also with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Would you? That's so nice thank you!" Cheryl said before standing up as Brock and I put all the stuff away. "Alright Burmy, come out and say hello!" She called and her newly captured Burmy appeared, where she then explained how she needed Mothim's strong sense of smell to lead her to the amber castle.

"If evolving is what you want, then you'll need to battle with Burmy to get experience." I said, stepping forwards with Eevee. "You can battle me if you like, we'll help Burmy to evolve."

"That would be amazing, thank you." Cheryl nodded her head then looked to Burmy. "Alright Burmy, let's use Tackle." She said and Burmy looked at her before at Eevee.

"Burmy? Burmy-Burmy!" He charged forwards and Eevee held his ground.

"Dodge it Eevee." I said and Eevee jumped to the side.

"Burmy, use Tackle again." Cheryl called and Burmy darted forwards so I gave a wink to Eevee.

"Okay, this time stay put!" Eevee nodded his head to me and I watched as Eevee took the attack, Burmy ploughing into him from the side and Eevee skidded along the ground. "Okay good, now use Swift!"

"Burmy, Protect!" Cheryl quickly countered and Burmy protected himself from being hit by the many stars that Eevee rattled off. We took it in turns battling Burmy, alternating between Pikachu and Eevee until suddenly, Burmy came at Eevee with a Hidden Power attack, which knocked him flying backwards straight into my arms.

"Eevee! Are you okay?" I questioned and Eevee nodded his head as I cradled him, tucking his paws into his belly as he breathed heavily. "You take a rest now, you did a great job." I assured him, holding him to me and looked up just in time to see Burmy starting to glow. "No way!"

"Burmy's evolving!" Ash said and we all watched as Burmy rose into the air, wings sprouting from its body until finally we were left with a Mothim who trilled happily at us all. "Awesome! It worked Pikachu!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cheered, jumping up into the air as Cheryl gasped with a bright smile.

"Mothim, you're finally here! How wonderful." She said as the sun began to set. Mothim fluttered around us all, trilling in thanks before settling on the tree where the honey was to suck it all up, making us chuckle as the sky began to turn dark.

"It's getting late, how about we start our hunt for the amber castle tomorrow?" Brock suggested and we all agreed. After eating some dinner, I curled up in my sleeping bag with Eevee, holding him close and stroked his soft fur before closing my eyes and falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day we spent searching, however we were met with an unexpected surprise. A grass type fanatic appeared and when she saw Ash's Turtwig, asked for a battle, however after she revealed her own Turtwig, which was fasted than you'd believe possible, Ash didn't even stand a chance. Not even with Staravia.

Gardenia stayed with us for that night, camping again under the stars before we moved on the next morning to find this Combee wall that she said was near a bunch of pomeg flowers, which may be the first step in finding the enchanted honey.

We walked for most of the morning and Eevee travelled on my shoulder for a rest, his little legs getting tired after a while. Gardenia kept on asking Ash and I about our grass type Pokémon, so I told her all about my Ivysaur and showed her some pictures whilst Ash described his adventures with Bulbasaur, Bayleef and his Sceptile. This girl was nuts about grass types, it was kind of weird but cool at the same time.

When we reached the flowers, the air was filled with a sweet aroma that we all breathed in deeply, taking in the relaxing smell. Suddenly a Nuzleaf appeared carrying a message which it handed to Gardenia, making us all blink. "Sorry, an emergency's cropped up and I have to go right away. Good luck you guys!" She called and just like that, she was gone. Wow.

"Hey guys look! It's a Combee!" Brock pointed and we all looked to see the cute little Pokémon flying around the flowers before it buzzed away into the woods. "Let's follow it, come on!" I grabbed Eevee as I ran passed him, scooping him up onto my shoulder as he stopped sniffing flowers to smile then licked my cheek, making me giggle.

"I love you too buddy, let's go find that castle."

"Vee!" He cheered in agreement then looked ahead as we ran. We stuck close together, following both Combee and Mothim who was getting more and more excited the closer we seemed to get something until finally, we ran into a valley where huge walls of Combee were built up around the place, drifting dreamily by.

"This is amazing, just look at them all!" Dawn said, turning a full circle in wonder.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly jumped off of Ash's shoulder and ran towards the waterfall where Mothim was hanging around, calling out to us excitedly.

"Hey Pikachu, where're you going?"

"Maybe the amber castle is right behind that waterfall!" Cheryl squealed excitedly, jumping up then hurried to follow her Mothim, climbing up a path then slipped behind the waterfall with all of close behind. I held Eevee in front of me, careful not to slip on the narrow and wet path as the drizzle of rain came down on us before we were tucked safely inside.

"Who would've imagined." Ash said as we all looked around in wonder.

"A huge cave way back here?" Suddenly both Mothim and Pikachu called out to us, jumping up and down and we looked to them as Pikachu lifted his nose and sniffed the air.

"Of course! Pikachu must be able to smell the honey." Brock said as Eevee lifted his nose up then gasped.

"Vee! Eevee!" He jumped out of my arms and ran towards Pikachu and Mothim, stopping to look back at me. "Eevee!"

"Hey buddy, can you smell the honey?" I questioned and he nodded his head before the Pokémon all headed down the left tunnel where it must smell strongest. "Okay then, we'll follow you." I gigged before jogging after them.

With the cave being so dark I handed out my other two flashlights to everyone then held one for myself, shining it around as we all stuck close together, following the Pokémon who were all leading us through this labyrinth.

"There's so many ways to go." Dawn shivered slightly, drawing closer as we looked through the many tunnels and pillars of rock that rose up from the ground all the way to the ceiling. Suddenly the Pokémon called from ahead of us, drawing us running to them.

"Light!" Brock exclaimed as we all saw the bluish glow that settled against the rocks behind the three Pokémon, making it sparkle slightly.

"Could it be the amber castle?" Dawn questioned excitedly as Ash I beamed.

"Pikachu you did it!"

"You too Eevee, great job." I praised and he gave me an adorable smile. We walked to the edge to the summit to find a spiralling path that wound down into a deep cavern, all the rocks glittering as if they were full of tiny little crystals.

"Wow, it looks like it goes a long, long way down there." I went first, jumping down onto the path where Ash then followed and we all followed the Pokémon once more as we followed the spiralling path.

"It's like crystal." Ash noted as Brock trailed a hand against the rocks.

"It's beautiful, the way it all shines!" Cheryl agreed, giving her sweet smile as she looked around.

"But, which way do we go now?" Dawn worried, seeing the long drop and the various cracks in the walls, signalling there were multiple routes that could be taken.

"All we have to do is leave it up to Mothim, Eevee and Pikachu and they'll do the finding for us." Brock assured her just as we came upon all the Pokémon standing before a large gap in wall with Pikachu directing the way.

"Pikachu, you found it!" Ash laughed and Mothim gave a trill before shooting off through the gap, too eager to wait for anyone. Pikachu blinked then darted after Mothim with Eevee close in tow, calling out with an echo through the cave as they tried to bring Mothim back. "Pikachu! Pikachu come back! Pikachu!"

"I hope we don't get lost." Cheryl said with worry as we stood together with only our flashlights for guidance.

"Pikachu!" Ash tried to move forwards to chase after Pikachu but both Brock and I caught his sleeve to hold him back before he too could go running off.

"Ash wait, you can't just disappear." Brock informed him with reason as I nodded my head.

"Yeah genius. You don't even have a torch. We should all stick together at the very least." I informed before turning around and reaching out through the darkness, taking a deep breath. "They went that way, so let's go."

"Right. We'll follow you." Ash said so I began to lead the way, keeping myself on high alert for anything that may spring out at us. We seemed to be going round and round in circles, everything looking exactly the same until finally, we stopped and looked around us.

"Didn't we come this way before?" Ash questioned.

"Beats me. Everything looks the same down here. There's a rock, over there's a rock and ooh look! Another rock." I deadpanned but then my head lifted slightly, feeling Eevee and Pikachu's auras close by.

"Vee!"

"Pika Pi!" They both called out and Mothim trilled happily as Pikachu leaped into Ash's arms and I caught Eevee with a laugh of relief, hiding my face in his fur.

"I'm glad you're alright Eevee, just don't run off like that again!" I told him and he licked my cheek in apology, so I instantly forgave him.

"What? What's wrong buddy?" Ash said to Pikachu at his worried expression back over his shoulder and instantly I felt a swarm of anger that wasn't mine touch me, informing me of the hoard of Pokémon that was heading our way.

"Look!" I pointed, Eevee sitting on my shoulder and we saw an entire hive of Combee flying past us, buzzing with fury.

"Combee." Ash stared, blinking in surprise at the number of Combee that appeared in this dark cave.

"Something must be wrong."

"Then let's check it out." I said and we all ran forwards to follow the Combee. They led us deeper into the cave however when we found the root of their anger, I wasn't too surprised to find Team Rocket digging a hole in the middle of their home. No wonder they're mad.

"It's _you_ three!" Ash said as we shone our torches on them.

"Classic twerp insight!" They all chorused together then climbed out of the hole they had made, looking up at the hoard of Combee that now surrounded them.

"What are you looking at?! Do I have food in my teeth or something?!" Jessie demanded to know haughtily as the Combee continued to simply glare at them.

"Did you…dig that hole?" Brock questioned them hesitantly, though it was pretty obvious that they were the culprits in starting this anger fest.

"Then that has to be why the Combee are so mad." Dawn mentioned and I nodded my head, glancing up to them all with their red glowing eyes. We have a serious problem.

"That, or perhaps they just don't like twerps." Jessie suggested as the three of them faced us.

"Besides I'm sure there's plenty of honey to go around." James reasoned simply before Meowth spoke up.

"For the Combee, for you and for us!"

"But we don't even know where the honey is." Cheryl said honestly but Team Rocket didn't seem like they were going to give up that easily.

"Oh give me a break. I know where Seviper is and now you do too!" She called and sent out her choice Pokémon, making the Combee hiss further and I gripped onto Eevee securely, glancing around as James brought out Cacnea, who instantly hugged James with its needled arms and made him cry out in pain. Ouch. That one had to hurt. "Those Combee critters don't fool me, I bet the amber castle is right behind their current position." Jessie reasoned as James finally detached himself from Cacnea.

"Brilliant thesis, now prove her right Cacnea with Pin Missile!"

"Seviper, Poison Sting!" Jessie called out brightly and the two Pokémon launched their attacks at the Combee as I ran forwards then threw Eevee up into the air.

"Deflect with Swift!" I ordered and Eevee instantly hit back the attacks with his Swift, protecting the Combee however they were still pretty mad at being aimed at, and they started using Psybeam at everyone and anyone. "Eevee!" I cried out as Eevee got hit whilst still in the air and I lunged forwards, grabbing him into my arms then hit the ground on my side with a grunt but with Eevee tucked up safe in my arms. "Eevee, are you okay?"

"Vee." He nodded his head, eyes focused and determined so I sighed with relief then stood, putting him on my shoulder.

"Ruby! You've got to do something!" Ash yelled over to me as he shielded Dawn from the blasts.

"Got it." I nodded my head then turned on the Combee. If they won't listen to reason, then I'll make them. Taking a deep breath I touched my knuckles together to focus my aura before sending it out in a blast, like a wave which shot around all the Combee and their eyes instantly faded back to normal, no longer angry however they weren't going to stay that way for long, or allow us to escape. "Cheryl, tell Mothim to use Supersonic!" I called over to her and she blinked before smiling.

"Oh yes, that is a wonderful idea. Mothim, use Supersonic!" She called and Mothim instantly flew up and used its confusing sound waves to bewilder the Combee, making them bump into one another in uncoordinated flight patterns.

"Now Piplup, let's get rid of Team Rocket with Whirlpool!" Dawn called as she brought out her first Pokémon and Piplup instantly set to work, creating a beautiful Whirlpool which dragged in Team Rocket as he sent it their way before finally they were washed out of here back down the cavern into the darkness.

"Okay, now let's go before the Combee come around." I said, Eevee resting on my shoulder for a while as we ran after Mothim who led the way. Once we were a safe distance from the Combee, we slowed down to a walk but had to stoop a little as the path became smaller and smaller.

"It's getting harder to walk down here, I hope we don't find another dead end." Dawn worried as she bit her lip nervously.

"Wait, look at that!" Brock said and we all looked up ahead to see Mothim fluttering about excitedly, calling for us all to hurry up. "Whatever's up ahead sure has Mothim excited. We lifted our torches only to find a strange looking wall.

"Dead end?" Dawn asked but Mothim continued to flutter close.

"Well, Mothim doesn't seem to think so." Brock mused as I lifted my torch higher and higher.

"Uh…guys? You might want to take a look at this." I said slowly, staring as we all turned and looked up. "It's… _breathing_." I informed them as we saw the regimented structure of the wall set out like a honeycomb. Suddenly several thousand pairs of eyes opened and we all leaped back with a gasp as Psybeam was launched down at us and I leaped out of the way with Eevee to avoid being hit.

"Okay Mothim, use Supersonic!" Cheryl said brightly and Mothim instantly blasted the wall with his confusing rings, making the entire the cave in on itself only to reveal the most beautiful structure I have ever seen, seemingly made out of solid gold or amber. Everyone gasped, instantly spellbound before I took the first step forwards, making sure the bridge was secure before leading the way inside, everyone speechless until we walked into the comb structure to find fountains of honey pooling around us.

"It's…the amber castle." Ash said in utter astonishment.

"It's just how I imagined it." Cheryl said as she looked around with a wide smile and tears in her eyes.

"Words just don't describe it." Brock murmured quietly as we all gazed around us. We all looked up to see a throne like structure with a dark figure hidden inside.

"That must be Vespiquen!" Cheryl realised and Dawn brought out her Pokédex to see what it was.

"Vespiquen, the beehive Pokémon. Its body is a hive and it raises its offspring with honey gathered by Combee." It explained and I gave a soft whistle of appreciation. Suddenly the Combee appeared, gathering around us with angry red eyes as Cheryl walked forwards.

"Cheryl be careful!" Dawn gasped, looking with worry as Cheryl stopped before Vespiquen seemingly without fear.

"Vespiquen, forgive us for forcing our way in here and startling you and all the Combee. My grandfather dedicated his entire life trying to discover whether or not you and your honey really existed. You must believe me, he and I would never think of taking your precious honey from you. That wasn't how he was, and neither am I." Cheryl informed as the queen of the hive listened to her. "Treasure hunters are a strange lot, unusual indeed, unlike any other people that I've ever met! All they want is to find great things to share with the world." Digging into her bag, Cheryl pulled out a small honey jar which she politely offered to Vespiquen. "Now, if you'll just let me have a little of your honey, grandfather's dream will finally come true."

I watched as she took another step forwards and presented the empty pot to Vespiquen. "Grandfather always used to say, even if you can only have a little of your dream, it will bring you great happiness." Well, looks like the old man really did know what he was talking about. "Oh won't you please? Just a little bit?" Vespiquen looked at Cheryl for a long time, trying to sense a ploy but eventually, she nodded her head and the Combee all moved back, their eyes no longer glowing red with anger.

Cheryl gave a smile then stooped down before one of the fountains and filled her little pot with honey, letting the golden sweetness sweep in before lifting it away. "Thank you so much Vespiquen. I promise, your secret shall always be safe with me. I won't tell anyone where we found you." She said before turning back to us. "Look! Isn't it wonderful? Have a taste." She offered and we dipped in our fingers sampling the rich sweetness that filled my entire mouth.

"Now I know what real sweetness tastes like!" Brock said, going all goofy and we all laughed.

"Why do you think Vespiquen agreed to give Cheryl the honey?" Dawn asked so I answered.

"Because Pokémon are very sensitive. They have a way of knowing what's in our hearts and Vespiquen knew that Cheryl was telling the truth. Either that or she was just very impressed that we actually managed to make it here and thought we deserved a reward." I chuckled before a Combee wall came towards us and we took this as our invitation to leave with our own escort.

The Combee showed us the fastest way out and the moment we were back in the bright sunlight we all flinched, holding up our hands to shield our eyes from the glaring sunlight until they adjusted. "Well, things turned out just fine." Brock mused as we walked back to Eterna woods. "You finally got your enchanted honey. I bet your grandfather will be proud."

"I hope so. It's always been his dream, and now, thanks to you all, it's finally come true." Cheryl smiled as we all walked together. Suddenly Brock sprung forwards, standing in front of her.

"I got it! I'll be a treasure hunter too! That way, you and I can go searching for rare treasures together, just you and I, forever!" He declared and I slapped a hand to my brow. Where's Croagunk already?

"Look! A Beedrill!" Cheryl called and moved away from Brock. "My grandfather always said, if you see a Beedrill, you should travel alone. Goodbye now, thanks so much for your help!" And with that, Cheryl was gone. I felt bad for Brock, he looked crushed.

"Goodbye…my…sweetest of sweets…" He said before collapsing to the ground.

"You know Brock, that's not a bad idea." I said, looking up at the darkening sky. "Let's make camp. I think we can all do with some rest before heading on tomorrow." I said but then Eevee lifted his head.

"Vee?"

"Huh? What's wrong Eevee?" I questioned but he jumped from my shoulder and stared to run off again. "Eevee! Come back! Where're you going?" I yelled after him, running to catch up as the others all followed.

"Wait for us Ruby!" Ash called but as Eevee disappeared through a bush, I followed after him, crawling through before I stood up.

"Eevee what's gotten…" I trailed off as I looked up and saw a small clearing, surrounded by a thick cluster of trees however in the centre, surrounded by grass and daises, was a single rock covered in moss, however there was a strange energy flow that seemed to emit from it and Eevee sat there before it, looking up curiously. "Eevee?"

"Ruby! What's…what is that?" Ash asked as the others all came rushing in but halted next to me, staring at the strange rock that just sat there in the middle of the forest. Eevee tilted his head to the side then slowly, lifted a paw up and pressed it against the rock, curious.

"Eevee?" I questioned then gasped as Eevee began to glow, shining brightly before starting to change shape. My eyes widened in shock until finally, the light disappeared and my newly evolved Eevee turned around to face me.

His ears and tail were now shaped like leaves, tinged with green from the tan of his body and the darker brown at his paws. There were little sprouts of green dotted over his body but most prominently on his brow and he looked up at me with the same chocolate brown eyes. Unable to speak, I pulled out my Pokédex to see the information on this new Pokémon.

"Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon. Leafeon is always surrounded by fresh clean air because it uses photosynthesis just like a plant." My Eevee just evolved into Leafeon. My Eevee just evolved into _Leafeon_!

"That's so cool!" I suddenly squealed and ran forwards as Leafeon smiled and jumped into my arms. "You look awesome Leafeon! But how did you do that?"

"Of course, this must be a moss rock." Brock said as the others all walked over as I hugged Leafeon to me. "Some regions have a mysterious rock just like this which causes a strange reaction with certain Pokémon, which in this case made your Eevee evolve into Leafeon." He explained to me and I smiled.

"Guess we'll have to start training all over again." I said with a smirk before hugging Leafeon again.

"Leafeon." He nodded his head, signalling he was ready when I was and I giggled before kissing his face lovingly. Since Leafeon was now too big to carry on my shoulder, he happily walked at my side, graceful and elegant and the air seemed to smell fresher when near to him. I can't believe it, I have a Leafeon! I can't wait to tell Professor Oak and Vaporeon, she's going to be so proud, I know it! I wonder who would win if they were to battle. Leafeon has the type advantage, but Vaporeon knows Ice Beam, which is effective against grass types. I can't wait to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

"Brock, with Croagunk!" Ronda called and the curtain opened for Brock to jog out with his Croagunk, who was dressed up as a Politoed. I cheered loudly, standing up from my seat and giving a wave and a giggle before sitting down again, Leafeon sitting in the seat beside me.

"Don't they look great?" I asked him and he nodded his head.

"Leafeon Leaf…" He agreed and I giggled before turning back to the stage where Croagunk was clapping his hands just like a Politoed would. The others had all entered a Pokémon dressing up contest that was airing on Sinnoh Now, and it was shaping up to be great! I'd seen so many awesome outfits of Pokémon dressed up to look like others, it's been a blast!

"Thank you! Glad to be here!" Brock said and everyone gave a cheery laugh at Croagunk's convincing performance and Brock passed with a pass from all three judges. Great work Brock!

"And next up, Weavile!" Ronda announced and this cowgirl person ran on stage with her Pokémon dressed up as a Weavile, which looked totally convincing, especially considering it even said the word Weavile instead of its own name. What kind of Pokémon is it anyway? Must be specifically trained for this sort of thing if it can say other words other than its own name.

"What a perfect Weavile imitation! If I didn't know better, I'd say Weavile was standing right here!" Ronda declared but then the trainer began to show off her Meowth's ability to actually speak all kinds of words, from Pikachu to Piplup and many others to boot. So it was a Meowth. Hmm…not too bad.

When it came to Dawn's turn, she had Piplup dressed up as a Weedle, however when Piplup got all excited at being on stage, he had jumped up into the air and used Bubblebeam for some extra effect, however this instantly put Dawn out of the competition. "Oops! Weedle can't use Bubblebeam!" Ronda said Dawn slapped her head before sighing. Pulling herself back together she waved and walked off, letting Ronda have the stage again.

"Let's go to our next entry. A shape copying Pikachu?" She read off a board that one of her crew was holding up for her before she looked up to the audience and smiled. "Now that's something you don't see every day! It sounds like a lot of fun, so let's welcome Pikachu and Ash!"

"Whoo! Go Ash! Go Pikachu!" I cheered as they ran on and Ash gave me a wave before calling out to the audience.

"Hey thanks! Ready for shape copying? Seviper!" He called and Pikachu instantly pulled on his face to turn himself into a Seviper. "Wobbuffet, Buneary! Mudkip, Lotad, Loudred!" Ash reeled off the names of all these Pokémon and Pikachu copied their shape with flare, making everyone go wild, loving every second of it as Leafeon cheered gently.

"Leafeon!" During the break Dawn and Piplup came and sat in the crowds with me, a little put out they didn't make it through so I cheered them up with a bag of popcorn I'd bought.

"Don't sweat it. Piplup was great! He's just used to showing off his awesome battle moves too, aren't you Piplup?" I said and Piplup beamed up at me.

"Piplup!" Giving a chuckle I reached out and rested my hand on Leafeon's back, stroking his fur gently as the finalists all stood on stage. The singing Chatot went first, singing Jigglypuff's song before changing it to the word Lapras, which was a hit with everyone in the stands.

"Oh my! What is that?!" The cowgirl yelled and everyone whirled around to look where she was pointing before she gave a girlish laugh. "Silly me, my mistake! I thought I saw a legendary Pokémon but I didn't isn't that a scream?" She giggled before grabbing her companion friend and marching off stage, however before they could exit, Ronda called out to them.

"Uh excuse me Catherine Jessiburn, where're you going anyway?" She demanded to know so the woman turned around with a suspicious smile.

"Oh just taking a walk." But then I suddenly heard Brock's yell.

"AGH! THE EGG IS GONE!" Instantly there was mass panic and confusion among the stands as Dawn and I leaped up, Dawn at my side as we looked on at the stage, trying to see what was going on. "I bet _they've_ got the egg." Brock accused the ones trying to leave. They yelped before making a run for it, the Meowth now dressed as Sunflora bolting with the egg in its hands.

"They're not going anywhere!" Officer Jenny declared then sent out her Pokémon, a Growlithe which moved quickly to cut off the thieves, growling and snapping its teeth at them. Though the thieves trembled, the woman suddenly smirked then all at once, they whipped off their disguises to reveal themselves to be Team Rocket.

"I should have known they'd be after that egg!" I said as Dawn gasped.

"Don't they ever quit or take a day off?" I wish, but I don't think they know _how_ to quit.

"Give us back that egg right now!" Ash ordered but Jessie merely sighed and rolled her eyes as I grabbed Dawn's hand and started to run for the stage to help out.

"Time after time it's the same old tired out line. Being a first rate actress, I would really appreciate a little more twerpish effort. Seviper, Haze! Now!" Jessie called and suddenly the stage was filled with a dark smoke which instantly barred everyone from seeing a thing.

"Staravia! Get out here and use Gust!" Ash ordered and Staravia instantly blew the cover away, allowing us to see Team Rocket making a run for it. "That way, let's go!" Instantly I was at his side, Leafeon bounding by my heels as we chased after Team Rocket.

"You're not going to get away with that egg Team Rocket. Give it up now!" I yelled after them but they only laughed in reply. They left the hall and jumped into their waiting balloon for a quick escape.

"Get back here Team Rocket!" Ash ordered.

"Twerps are so naïve." Jessie mused.

"And we've gotta leave." Meowth finished though James seemed pretty mad and upset that he'd been dragged away from the competition by his comrades and said so himself. Wow, seemed like he'd wanted to win that egg fairly. Wonders never cease to exist.

"Leafeon go, use Razor Leaf!" I called, pointing up to the balloon and Leafeon instantly jumped, calling out before swinging his head around to shoot the leaves straight for the balloon however Jessie sent out her Dustox.

"Use Poison Sting!" The leaves were knocked down as we all ran, trying to catch up with Team Rocket as they drifted away.

"Staravia, use Wing Attack!" Ash yelled up and Staravia instantly took the dive however Dustox moved to try and block Staravia off, aiming a Pysbeam that forced Staravia to dodge.

"Leafeon! Leaf…eon!" My Leafeon growled before leaping up into the air, his tail glowing white before he whirled around and hit Dustox back with his attack, making my eyes grow wide as Staravia took the opening and ploughed into the balloon, cutting it open and it instantly took a plunge.

"Leafeon…was that _Iron Tail_?" I questioned as Leafeon landed elegantly on the ground then turned a smile at me. Suddenly the egg dropped to the ground, flying out of Jessie's grip and we all gasped, freezing in place except for Dawn.

"Quick Buneary, Bounce!" She ordered and Buneary instantly appeared, jumping onto the ground then sprang up into the air to catch the egg safely before falling back to the earth where Leafeon jumped into position and let her land on his back, smiling softly with a nod of his head as we all sighed with relief. "Great job Buneary!"

"You too Leafeon, you learned a new move!" I cheered, running over and hugged his face to me gently. "I'm so proud of you."

"Leafeon." He said then licked my cheek affectionately. When I looked around I saw Croagunk still clapping his hands together, singularly focused on his performance and character as Politoed which made me giggle before I looked over at Ash who was already moving forwards.

"Alright Pikachu, we're in the clear so use Thunderbolt!" He called and Pikachu instantly jumped up from Growlithe's back, rising up into the air then blasted Team Rocket's balloon with a zap of his power, sending them flying off into the air.

"AGH! WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" I giggled, shaking my head.

"Good to know some things will never change." I said before hugging Leafeon again. We returned to the competition where after a final round of showing off their Pokémon's adaptability to mimicking others, the judges came to their final decision of the winner of the competition.

"Alright, the final votes are in!" Nurse Joy declared and the lights all turned off save for two which swapped around the last three contestants, before finally landing on Brock and Croagunk.

"And this year's big winner is Brock's Croagunk!" Officer Jenny called out and even Brock was shocked.

"No way!" As Dawn and I cheered extra loud, Brock received his prize. The Pokémon egg, for a Croagunk who never went out of character even whilst chasing after Team Rocket. Way to go Croagunk! Look at him, he's still in character now even though he's won! Now that's dedication alright.

"I can't believe it, Croagunk won! Isn't that great Piplup?"

"Piplup!" Piplup cheered in agreement as Leafeon jumped up and down, cheering also before we all head down to the stage door, where we waited for Brock and Ash to exit the stage. "Piplup Pip!"

"Thanks Piplup." Brock chuckled as he approached us, carrying his new egg in its incubator case.

"I can't wait! What Pokémon is it? When will it hatch? Do we have to wait long?" Dawn questioned and we all chuckled at her enthusiasm before walking out of the hall, a new addition to our team. Hatching an egg is always exciting, and I can't wait for this one to come along too. It's going to be great!


	9. Chapter 9

After an exciting day of fishing and training with a tough Buizel who liked to steal trainer's fishing rods, Dawn ended up catching the Pokémon, which seriously impressed Zoey, who we'd happened to run into by chance.

The only problem was, Buizel was pretty headstrong and liked to do his own thing rather than listen to what Dawn had to say whilst practicing for her next contest. In fact, Buizel didn't listen to her at all. He didn't get involved with the other Pokémon and often picked a fight with someone, usually Piplup, which caused a little bit of a problem for the rest of us and made Dawn concerned over what she should do.

"He won't listen to me!" She complained, slumping on the ground as Brock cooked us some dinner. "Buizel just does his own thing and doesn't even seem to hear me at all."

"You get that sometimes with proud Pokémon." I said as I sat on Charizard's shoulder, Leafeon bathing in the sunlight for a nap. "Buizel is used to training and being alone, so it'll take time for the idea of family to sink in. You should have seen how nasty Charizard was when I first got him. Wouldn't listen to anything I said and liked to scratch me. A lot." I laughed as Charizard gave a growl then licked my face affectionately, making me giggle.

"Really? But you two are so close now." Dawn said so I jumped down to the ground.

"Exactly. I didn't give up on him, and eventually, he came to see that all I wanted was for us to be friends. After that, we've been close buddies. Right Charizard?" I called up and he instantly lowered his head to nuzzle against me like the big softie he was. "See?"

"That's amazing. Did Charizard really used to hurt you?"

"You should have seen the burns and marks Ruby came out with." Ash said with a laugh. "It used to make Pidgeot so mad to see her get hurt almost every day. It's a wonder she didn't peck Charizard to pieces when he was a Charmander."

"Yeah, he used to hit her with his tail, bite, scratch, snap, all those kind of things, but Ruby never gave up on him. They grew closer by travelling together and gaining experience. Of course, it did help a little when Ruby jumped off a cliff to save Charizard just before he evolved." Brock added and Dawn's eyes went wide.

"What?!" I laughed nervously.

"It's…a long story." I said dismissively. "The point is that you've just got to keep on trying. Look at Pachirisu. We all thought she'd never calm down, but look at her now." I reasoned, looking over to Pachirisu who was grooming her tail. "See? She's almost a different Pokémon since you've been training together. Just don't give up yet Dawn, it's still a long way until your next contest." Feeling a little more confident, Dawn smiled and nodded her head.

"No need to worry!" She assured everyone and we all chuckled at her expense. So after we'd eaten, I faced Buizel with Leafeon, who had agreed to battle for some training to work on some new moves now that he'd evolved. "Okay Buizel, you're at a disadvantage, so let's work together to win this thing!" Dawn cheered.

"Bui." Buizel said, spreading his stance out to signal he was ready, however I noted how he didn't seem too interested in what Dawn was saying.

"Are you ready Leafeon?" I asked and he nodded his head simply, focusing ahead, ready to go. "Okay then. Dawn, you take the first move." I called and she gave me a wave.

"Thanks Ruby! Okay Buizel, let's start with Water Gun!" She called however Buizel leaped up into the air and twisted, focusing in on Leafeon who stood there calmly.

"Bui-Bui! Bui!" He called then slashed his tail, sending out sharp bursts of attacks down at us.

"No, not Sonic Boom!" Dawn slapped a hand to her face as I focused on this attack instead.

"Okay Leafeon, dodge it." I said to him and Leafeon instantly dodged out of the way of each blast, jumping left and right and back before standing, Buizel landing on the ground.

"Buizel, you've got to listen to me." Dawn pleaded. "We're _supposed_ to be a team! Now, use Water Gun." She tried again but Buizel used Aqua Jet instead. Water swirled around him before he shot towards Leafeon at break neck speed.

"Jump then Razor Leaf." I directed and Leafeon instantly jumped up onto Buizel, gracefully springing off of him again then turned, swinging his head and shot a series of fast spinning leaves directly at Buizel, who turned only to be struck by the fast flurry, cancelling out his Aqua Jet and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Buizel! Are you okay?" Dawn called out and Buizel was instantly on his feet, ready to battle. "Listen to me Buizel, you can't go charging in like that against a grass type! Especially since you're at a disadvantage, now either you start listening to me or you're going to be in big trouble!" Dawn yelled at him as I chuckled then turned back to the battle.

"Leafeon, Razor Leaf again." I called and Leafeon instantly sent out the attack straight at Buizel.

"Now Buizel, Sonic Boom to deflect!" Amazingly Buizel leaped up into the air and struck it with his twin tails, using the loud bursts to strike down the leaves and they teetered to the ground uselessly. "Alright! Now Water Gun!"

"Dodge it!" I quickly said but Leafeon didn't move fast enough, being struck by a powerful plume of water however he then stood his ground, taking the attack as it did him little damage.

"Now use Sonic Boom again!" This time Buizel went back to his old thing, following up his Water Gun with Aqua Jet and he ploughed into Leafeon, who cried out and collapsed to the floor from the physical attack, but wasn't quite through yet.

"Leafeon, use Synthesis!" I called out to him and he stood, closing his eyes and looking up to the bright sunlight above us where his body then began to glow with a golden sheen, the leaves of his ears and tail glowing slightly white before it all disappeared and his energy was once again restored.

"That looked pretty." Dawn complimented and I smiled.

"Thank you. We learned that trick from Ash and Turtwig." I told her before I punched the air in front of me. "Now Leafeon, use Iron Tail!" I directed and Leafeon raced forwards for a close range attack, gaining speed as his tail began to glow.

"Dodge it Buizel!" Dawn ordered quickly but Buizel stood his ground, taking a deep breath to use Water Gun but Leafeon was the one who was too fast this time. He spun around and struck with all his might, sending Buizel flying back then skid along the ground, groaning slightly as Leafeon landed elegantly in front of me. "I think we should call it quits there. Buizel looks a little beat up." I said as Dawn sighed.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." She hung her head as she helped Buizel to sit up, leaning him against her to make sure he was alright.

"Pathetic." A voice suddenly said and we all turned to see none other than Paul standing there on the edge of our camp slightly in the shadows. The swine. "Not even your own Pokémon wants to listen to what you have to say."

"What, and you think you could do better?" I challenged and his eyes flickered over to me.

"Obviously." I growled. Something about that guy just struck a nerve in every fibre in my body. He's worse than Gary! "I'm guessing your Eevee evolved. Doesn't look that strong."

"Remember what happened last time you judged a Pokémon by its appearance?" I questioned him then smirked. "I kicked your butt, that's what." He shot me a dark look as Ash stood up.

"Hey Paul, what're you doing here in the first place?"

"Looking for Pokémon, but then I came across you losers. I guess that's why all the Pokémon have been scared out from this area. Don't blame them, considering the rodeo freak is here." Instantly my veins burned with rage as my blood boiled and even Charizard snarled at Paul.

"WHAT?! YOU GET OVER HERE YOU MEAN AND NASTY JERK AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" I thundered in anger, struggling against Brock and Ash as they restrained me though I kicked and struggled. "LET ME AT HIM! LET ME AT THE LITTLE RUNT!"

"Cool it Ruby, you're only giving him what he wants." Ash said so I instantly calmed down. The genius is right, I shouldn't even be wasting my breath on that little creep. "So Paul, why're you still here? You looking for a battle?" Ash asked, stepping forwards but then Paul shot him down.

"Not with you, with her." He pointed at me. "I want a rematch. Against _that_." He pointed to Leafeon and I growled, however my Leafeon soon made me proud. He lifted his head, walked over to Paul and sniffed him carefully before lifted his head high in the air and walking proudly away.

"Guess my Leafeon isn't interested in battling _you_." I informed smartly, folding my arms and lifted my chin. "So you'd better just go." Paul's eyes narrowed further before he glanced at Charizard with a calculating look.

"Fine, then against that one." He nodded his head towards Charizard who growled then began to threateningly pound his fist against his palm, looking straight at Paul and I thought for a moment. If I battled him and lost, it would mean we're even. If I didn't battle him, he'd start calling me a coward, but I was just not interested in battling him. What would be the point? I've already proven myself to be stronger than him, and besides. No amount of training on his part is going to make him stronger than my Pokémon who have a strong bond with me. We'll always come out on top. "Or are you scared?"

"Only of your lack of manners." I answered simply then turned around to pick up the water canister. "Leafeon, let's go. Charizard, make sure genius doesn't get his head stuck in the cooking pot again." Charizard gave a swift grunt, nodding his head and stood up tall so that he could keep an eye on everyone.

"You can't just walk away from a challenge!" Paul said angrily after me but I just smirked and turned my head back slightly.

"Watch me." And with Leafeon at my side, I went to collect some more water. The water came from a small river of smooth flowing water, lapping gently at the stones and Leafeon bent his head and took a drink as I filled the canister to the brim then screwed on the lid. When I looked up, my entire body froze in place as I stared.

On the opposite bank was a Pokémon of extraordinary looks. It was a Ponyta, only its flames burned a beautiful electric blue and its body was so pale that it was almost pure white, giving it a ghostly and surreal appearance.

Ponyta had been drinking from the stream, however when it looked up, our eyes locked. Those deep brown eyes drew me in and I knew instantly that I had to catch this Pokémon, however I was still frozen in place.

A twig snapped behind me and the Ponyta snorted, eyes narrowing and reared back slightly as I flinched. Before I could do anything, I heard Paul's voice. "Elekid, use Thunderbolt."

"No!" I cried out, lunging forwards but Elekid was already charging up his attack and from between the horns on his head, shot a powerful attack at the Ponyta who sprang backwards out of the way then cried out with a haunting call before turning tail and fleeing. "No wait Ponyta!" I yelled then turned on Paul. "You're a moron! Why'd you scare it off like that?"

"I didn't scare it off, I'm going to catch it." He shot back at me, already jumping from stone to stone carefully, avoiding the water. "So stay out of my way." He thinks he's going to catch that Ponyta, huh? Well I'll show him!

"Not a chance. Let's go Leafeon!" I called and splashed into the water, wading my way through and Paul stopped, blinking at me as I soaked my shoes as the water rose to my knees however I discarded this care then ran off into the trees, Leafeon gracefully springing after me.

I followed the Ponyta's tracks for as long as they were visible before simply going straight ahead and following my instincts, keeping an eye out before finally, I caught sight of the blue flame. Ponyta was eating some grass, hidden behind some bushes however when it heard me approaching, it snorted and cantered off. "Wait! Let me battle you! Please!" I called out desperately.

"Elekid, use Thunderbolt, now." Paul ordered and Elekid instantly blasted the ground ahead of where Ponyta was, cutting it off however it veered off to the right, changing direction and picked up the pace.

"Let's go Leafeon, try catch up." I said and Leafeon instantly bounded forwards, shooting off to try catch up with the Ponyta. "And you, stay out my way! I saw it first." I growled at Paul who rolled his eyes.

"So? I'm going to catch it first. Go back to your loser friends and let me do the catching." I glared at him.

"You think you're hilarious, don't you?" I growled as I walked forwards, pushing him aside. We both went after the Ponyta, however Paul broke off and went a different way, which caught my attention for a split second before I looked ahead to see that Leafeon was prancing around the Ponyta, trying to keep it from escaping. "Leafeon, use Razor Leaf!" I ordered and Leafeon instantly attacked. Ponyta snorted, stomping a hoof then burnt all the leaves with an Ember attack, rearing up proudly with a neigh and tried to use Stomp on Leafeon.

"Dodge it!" Leafeon leaped back out the way, keeping a careful eye on his opponent. "Iron Tail!" We were poorly matched up, but I wasn't going to give up so easily. I want this Pokémon on my team because it's just so beautiful, and if I ever go back into contest, it'll be the perfect asset to my team.

Ponyta took the Iron Tail attack, unable to move out the way fast enough and it fell to the ground but was jumping back to its feet, snorting and glaring with rage as the flames began to flicker brightly. "Okay Leafeon, Swift!" I called and Leafeon instantly let out a string of stars, each one hitting Ponyta and doing a little more damage than the Iron Tail had, making it rear back and turn to take the attack on its side.

Ponyta shook off the damage, taking deep breaths then quickly attacked with Ember. "Get out the way!" But Leafeon's dodge wasn't fast enough. Ponyta followed his movements and caught him side on, causing him a lot of damage and to be flung back again a tree. "No! Leafeon, are you okay?" I ran over to him, gently lifting him into my lap and he looked up at me.

"Leafeon…"

"No it's okay, you're not very well matched up so don't apologise. Now, use Synthesis." I told him and instantly he began to glow, restoring his energy before he sprang up to his feet once more. "Great! Now let's go get that Ponyta before Paul." I said and Leafeon nodded his head.

"Leafeon Leaf." With that we ran after the Ponyta who had taken advantage of our distraction to run away. We only got a little further into the woods until we heard a large bang, the crackle of electricity and the loud call of Ponyta's voice. "Uh oh." I blinked before rushing towards the sound.

Paul had cornered Ponyta on the edge of a cliff, the river running below a lot larger and faster than the one I had drawn water from before. Elekid charged up another Thunderbolt and it hit Ponyta full on, making it rear up and lash out with eyes tightly shut.

"Stop it!" I yelled without thinking, running forwards and gripped onto Paul's sleeve. "You've hurt it enough, stop attacking!" But he merely looked back to his Elekid and Ponyta as it continued to spin his arms, powering more electricity into Ponyta. "Please?" I tried and Paul turned his head back to me, giving me a long look, his intense black eyes grating against me.

Suddenly there was a crack and both our heads snapped around, seeing the ground beneath Ponyta crumble before it fell back into the river. "No!" I cried out and without thinking, shoved my hat into Paul's chest then ran after Ponyta.

"Are you crazy?" Paul demanded, trying to catch me but I was too quick, moving forwards and with a deep breath, dove over the side of the cliff after Ponyta as it hit the water. I arched around and broke into the water gracefully, instantly being snatched up by the current but I rode it expertly, swimming towards Ponyta who struggled against the water, crying out in fear and lashing but when I reached it, I sent a soothing calmness over it, keeping it steady as I gripped its head, helping it to float above water.

I could hear Leafeon calling out as he raced along the cliff edge, desperately trying to help but right now, I needed a little more muscle. Cupping my fingers to my lips I blew hard, sounding a loud, shrill whistle which sang out through the air then ducked underwater, helping Ponyta to align itself. "Easy now." I said softly as Ponyta began to tread the water, keeping its head up in the air. "It's alright."

Suddenly there was a roar and I looked up to see Charizard flying towards us, zeroing in on us and I kept a tight hold of Ponyta as Charizard flew down and gripped it around the middle. "Okay Charizard, pull us out!" Ponyta lashed out slightly, startled as Charizard flapped his wings and pulled us out of the water. "We're okay now Ponyta, this is Charizard. He's very strong and he's just going to get us out the water." I assured Ponyta, rubbing his neck gently to try and keep him calm. "See? He's putting us down now."

Sure enough Charizard was settling us on the bank where Leafeon instantly jumped into my arms, licking my jaw before holding on tightly as I sighed with relief and hugged him securely. Charizard gave a soft whine of worry, licking my face and I giggled before he blasted both Ponyta and I with hot air, drying us off as I exhaled, letting my hammering heart calm down. "Are you okay Ponyta? You're not hurt are you?" I asked the beautiful Pokémon who struggled to stay up on his feet, his legs shaking but then he shook himself off and turned to look at me.

His eyes gazed into mine, reading me carefully before he gave a soft snort then nuzzled me with a velvety nose, making me giggle as he tickled my neck. "You're welcome. It was nothing." I said, lifting my hands and gently stroked his soft fur, leaning my head forwards and rested it against the sloping forehead, relaxing against him.

Ponyta gave a soft whinny and I lifted my head, blinking at him as he nudged against me again. "What's this? You want to come with me?" I asked and he nodded his head, nibbling silky lips against my ear and I giggled again, trying to escape but Ponyta only followed me as I stepped backwards, nibbling until I had pulled out a Pokéball. "Okay! Okay, so that means you're my new partner." I said and Ponyta snorted with a nod of his head before letting me gently touch the Pokéball against his head.

The red light swallowed him up and I held the Pokéball in my hand as it quivered once then clicked, signalling he had been caught. This is so cool, I've caught a rare type of Ponyta! "Alright! I just caught…a Ponyta!" I cheered and both Leafeon and Charizard joined in, jumping up or roaring as I smiled then turned around.

I came face to face with Paul, who had somehow managed to sneak up on me without even hearing him. His eyes glared into mine for a moment and I rose defensively against them, not breaking the contact before finally, he pressed my hat against me and I gripped it tightly. "Next time, don't get in my way." He growled before turning and walking away.

Standing with my Pokémon we all watched him leave, disappearing back into the woods without another word. Charizard gave a gruff snort, glad to be rid of him so I lifted my hand and rubbed his belly reassuringly, making him calm down before I sighed. "Come on. Let's go introduce Ponyta to the rest of the gang."


	10. Chapter 10

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Dawn said as I stood with Ponyta, gently stroking its velvety nose with one hand as Dawn darted around with sparkling eyes, admiring Ponyta from every angle. "Why is its flames blue? What moves does it know? Are you going to enter it into a contest one day?" She rattled off question after questioned and I soothed Ponyta gently as he became a little unnerved by Dawn's fluttering.

"Sure, I will do one day, but for now I think you'd better settled down before Ponyta decides to try out a Double Kick attack." I warned with a chuckle and Dawn blushed before settling down, standing in one spot.

"Sorry, I just can't believe how lucky you are!"

"It's strange, you remember Noctowl and how he had different colourings?" Brock questioned and I nodded my head. "It seems super rare for a Pokémon to be differently coloured from its species, I guess that just makes the Pokémon all the more valuable to collectors. I'd be careful if I were you Ruby, especially with that Hunter J around." I clenched my jaw and nodded my head, getting angry at the mere thought of that vile woman. Stupid Pokémon hunters.

So after Ponyta had been introduced, Dawn tried some more training with Buizel, only it still wasn't going too well. She battled against Ash and Turtwig, however when Turtwig took a Sonic Boom attack from close range, he took serious damage and we took him to the nearest Pokémon Centre for healing.

Turtwig was fine in no time, but Buizel on the other hand…he still wouldn't do a single thing Dawn asked of him. He was as stubborn as a Tauros.

As Ash and Brock watched the TV, I sat with Leafeon at my side, gently grooming him to get some dirt off his coat whilst Dawn paced in front of me. "I just don't know what to do. Buizel still won't listen to me and Turtwig almost got seriously hurt because of it. Ruby, are you sure I'm doing this right? I'm not missing something am I?" She questioned for the hundredth time as I continued to groom Leafeon.

"You're doing fine Dawn. Maybe what Buizel needs is to be taught a lesson. He's been training for so long on his own and is used to following his own orders, that he's now got a proud streak from where he always used to win his battles. Maybe if he lost one, he'd get off his high Ponyta." I reasoned simply and Dawn sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe Buizel just isn't cut out for contests. He seems so much more confident in just plain battling, I don't even know where to begin making his moves look pretty and appealing." She worried, twiddling her thumbs as she looked over at Buizel who was going through his paces, punching at thin air as we sat in the garden of the Pokémon Centre.

"When it comes to Pokémon and contests, it's not the Pokémon you need to adapt, it's you Dawn." She blinked at me in surprise. "The Pokémon you catch all have their own particular styles and personalities, so you have to work on bringing that out to show everyone else. Buizel is tough and quite cool, so you need to show off his strength, not how pretty his attacks can look."

"But…how do I do that?"

"It'll come in time, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure it out after you get to know Buizel a little more." I said as I put my brush away and tickled Leafeon under the chin, making him smile and jump up onto the bench, rubbing his head into mine.

"Leafeon Leaf…" He murmured affectionately and I smiled as he licked my cheek. Dawn sighed as she watched us.

"You're so lucky Ruby. You've got so many different Pokémon from different places. I hope I can catch some one day."

"Sure you will. All you have to do is travel. I've been to so many places and seen so many amazing Pokémon it's almost unreal. However all the Pokémon I have, I have because I earned their trust and they chose to be my partners, which makes us really close." I nodded my head towards Buizel. "Buizel chose to be your Pokémon, so give him a little credit and go on a little faith. You two will be just fine with some work." I told her but just then, a tall and extremely thin man walked up to us, his shoulder length hair a light purple colour with tinted glasses to match.

"I absolutely agree." He said, giving us a warm smile. "I apologise, but I couldn't help but overhear your little dilemma. I understand that you are having trouble controlling your Buizel?" He questioned and Dawn nodded her head.

"Yeah, I just caught him." Dawn answered, standing up. "Don't I know you from somewhere? You look familiar…" In answer he only chuckled, but when Ash and Brock stepped outside, they both choked on their breath and stared, open mouthed and in shock as Ash tried to stammer.

"You're…you're…you're…" So I got up and whacked him on the back of his head.

"Spit it out genius!" I ordered and Ash instantly jumped.

"You're Lucian from the Elite Four!" That made me stop. So this guy was actually one of the best trainers in all of Sinnoh? That's amazing. "We just saw you on TV, battling with your Girafarig!" Specialises in psychic type Pokémon. Awesome!

"That's right, it's very nice to meet you all." He said to us, giving a polite little bow as we all grouped together.

"My name's Dawn, and this is Ruby and her Leafeon." Dawn introduced us and I returned the polite bow as Leafeon sat down and bowed his head also.

"It's very nice to meet you sir." I said.

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm entered in the Sinnoh League!" Ash declared and Lucian gave a light chuckle and smile.

"Well then, I shall certainly be looking out for you, young man. I expect you'll do very well." Lucian said politely as Brock waved a hand.

"Hi, I'm Brock. I'm aspiring to be a Pokémon breeder."

"And he's already very good." I put in with a smile. "He found the best way to keep my Leafeon looking so groomed and his greenery looking so healthy. Right little buddy?" I turned down to Leafeon who nodded his head.

"Leafeon." He agreed and Lucian crouched down to inspect him closely, so Leafeon sat there patiently.

"You have raised this young one well. It looks very strong indeed." He complimented and I glowed warmly. "I too have an Eevee evolution. Being a psychic specialist, I have an Espeon." Lucian informed, giving me a final smile before turning to Buizel who had suddenly leaped forwards and was speaking in a demanding manner.

"Huh? Buizel! Calm down already." Dawn scolded, trying to hold him back whilst giving Lucian an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I just caught this Buizel, and he hasn't yet learned to mind his manners." She tried to give Buizel a pointed look but Buizel continued to demand at Lucian, beckoning him towards him.

"Oh that's quite alright. I think Buizel wants to battle me." Lucian informed and everyone was taken aback in surprise at Buizel's spunk. "And I accept Buizel's challenge."

"Huh?" Dawn blinked, slightly bemused and stunned by Lucian's decision as Ash stepped forwards.

"Do you think you could battle with me and Pikachu first?!" He asked excitedly, anticipation swelling up inside him and I gripped Ash's jacket to tug him back to my side before he could make an idiot of himself and trip over his own feet in his haste or something.

"I promise that I shall battle you Ash, once you've attained your goal of conquering the Sinnoh League, however Buizel asked, and I'm honouring that request." Lucian informed then stood up from the bench he had occupied and walked a little way off then stopped, turning to face forwards and waited for Dawn to take his place opposite him.

"I don't know if I can do this." Dawn trembled slightly so I gripped her hand for reassurance.

"Its okay, this battle is for Buizel's sake, not yours, so it doesn't matter if you win or lose." I told her simply. "Just focus on the battle and you'll do fine, try and connect with Buizel out there, fall in sync." Stepping back I stood between Ash and Brock as we stood to observe.

"Would you mind telling us what Pokémon you're going to use?" Ash asked and Lucian gave a little smile.

"I'll show you. This Pokémon should be a fitting match. Alright, go Bronzong!" A huge bell like Pokémon appeared, floating in the air before Lucian with big red eyes and interesting patterns on its metal surface.

"Cool, a Bronzong!" Ash said before looking up the information in the Pokédex. Dawn kicked off the battle, pointing ahead of her and tried to get Buizel to use Aqua Jet, however he leaped up into the air and used Water Gun instead, completely ignoring her orders.

"Bronzong, Iron Defence." Lucian countered and the water attack was repelled almost too easily. I heard Dawn growl in irritation but she quickly brought herself back together again.

"Now, this time I want you to use Aqua Jet!" She called to Buizel but he turned in the air and struck it with his twin tails, sending a strong pulse down at Bronzong who deflected it again without even blinking. Now that's strong.

"Alright Bronzong, let's wrap this up. Use Gyro Ball!" Bronzong began to create two spheres of bright white and then spun around quickly, gaining speed until it shot towards Buizel who lowered his head, preparing to take the attack head on.

"Quick Buizel, dodge it!" Dawn cried out but Buizel now used his Aqua Jet and charged straight at Bronzong, not backing down however the more powerful Pokémon knocked him flying backwards, making Buizel strike the ground twice before he shook out his head then got to his feet once more.

"Amazing, Buizel took Bronzong's Gyro Ball and still got right back up." Lucian mused, impressed with Buizel's strength before he sighed softly and lowered his head slightly. "Alright Bronzong, finish with Flash Cannon."

"Flash Cannon?!" Dawn yelped. "Quick Buizel, dodge it!" But Buizel wouldn't dodge. He tried to deflect the attack with his own Water Gun, but he was just simply not strong enough to repel the attack of the Elite Four Pokémon. He was thrown back into a tree and from there, he didn't get back up. "Buizel! Buizel are you okay?" Dawn worried, hovering a little unsure over Buizel as we all rushed over.

"I'm terribly sorry. I guess I got carried away by Buizel's fighting spirit." Lucian said as he walked on over. "Please, let Nurse Joy see to Buizel right away."

"We will, don't worry." Dawn said then scooped Buizel up into her arms, holding him with concern. "No need to worry Buizel, we'll get you fixed up in no time." She promised. I watched as the others ran inside to find Nurse Joy, but I stood behind with Leafeon and Lucian.

"I see you're very in touch with how a Pokémon feels Ruby." Lucian said then frowned slightly. "It is Ruby, isn't it?"

"That's right." I nodded my head as I answered. "It's just, I'm worried about Buizel and Dawn. He's just not cut out for contests. He likes to be tough and focused only on defeating his opponent, not showing off to a crowd." With a sigh I looked down at Leafeon who gave me an understanding look then rubbed his head against my leg, trying to comfort me.

"Dawn will find Buizel's rhythm, then the two will be perfectly in sync and everything will be alright." Lucian informed me. "You're a good friend to her, I can see she respects your judgements and relies on your wisdom very much. I can tell that one day you too will be a great Pokémon master." I blushed slightly.

"That was my dream once, but I prefer helping Pokémon and their trainers more than anything. Sure I enjoy battling and the contests were fun, but travelling and seeing new Pokémon, getting to know them and really learning how to understand them is what I love most. It's always an adventure that way." I shrugged, kneeling down and rubbed Leafeon's head before picking him up into my arms. "I'd better go see what's going on. Thank you for helping Buizel and Dawn." I said, giving Lucian a little bow which he returned.

"I hope that one day you and I will battle. I am interested to see how one so connected with their Pokémon acts in battle." He said and I gave him a competitive smirk.

"One day I'll defeat the Sinnoh League, then you'll find out." I informed him before turning and walking inside. Buizel was okay, just a little worn out and after a rest, he'd woken up good as new. Well…almost.

Despite Dawn's obvious joy to see him alright, Buizel slipped off the bed and walked over to the corner of the room to simply stand there with a bowed head and disheartened expression. "Hey guys, what's up with Buizel?" I asked as I walked into the room where everyone stood and looked on at poor Buizel.

"I think losing was a big shock after all." Dawn said quietly and I blinked before turning my head back to observe Buizel.

"I think so." Brock agreed.

"Remember way back at the river? Buizel was unbeatable." Ash said and I sighed softly, reaching out to rest a hand on Dawn's shoulder as she hugged her waist.

"We're a long way from the river now. Out here it's a bigger world with loads more Pokémon tougher and stronger than Buizel's used to. Just like that Bronzong." I told everyone quietly as Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and tried to cheer up Buizel, however he received no response at all. "Come on. How about we all head outside? Some fresh air might cheer Buizel up a little." I suggested and Dawn perked up a bit.

"You think so? Okay, then let's go!" We all head back out into the garden and Ash instantly tried to lift things up into a happier tone.

"Yeah! There's nothing like the great outdoors to lift your spirits. Hey Buizel, I heard there was a gigantic river around here, so why don't we all go swimming?" Ash suggested but still Buizel continued to hang his head and refused to answer anyone. "Man…I was sure that would fire him up."

"Hey everyone!" Lucian's voice called out and we all turned to see him walking towards us. "I thought I'd find you all out here."

"Hi Lucian." Ash greeted cheerfully but Dawn turned to her Buizel.

"Look there. Buizel just hasn't been the same since losing our battle." She explained as Lucian blinked then looked around to see Buizel looking downcast and completely changed from the cocky Pokémon he'd seen before.

"Then it's time. A very important time too." Lucian said to us all. "Buizel is standing at a crossroads and needs to make a choice. The choice of what to do with defeat. He can continue to love battling like before, or not." Suddenly a metal cage appeared around Buizel, trapping him inside and instantly Buizel jerked in shock, calling out in surprise as Dawn yelped.

"No!"

"Now what's going on?!" Lucian demanded to know as Buizel was lifted away.

"Listen, is that one of the elite four I hear?" Jessie's voice questioned as we spun around to see the Team Rocket balloon floating before us, prepped and ready to go with Buizel trapped in the cage ball underneath.

"You're listening to the elite three, is that clear?!" James called down to us before Jessie popped her head out of the side of the basket by a window of some sort, smirking down at us with glee.

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"In your ear!" James and Meowth appeared also, looking from their own windows which opened up from the basket before they all disappeared then rose up together.

"Bringing chaos at a break neck pace."

"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place." I have to admit, this new motto is actually a little more creative than the last one. Quite catchy.

"A rose by any other name's just as sweet."

"When everything's worse, our work is complete." They continued before striking individual poses.

"Jessie."

"James."

"Meowth, now that's a name!"

"Putting the do-gooders in their place.

"Team Rocket." James said before they all chorused together. "In your face!"

"You're just a bunch of sad losers, who won't ever admit defeat!" I yelled up at them. "Give Buizel back right now!"

"Not a chance!" James retorted and I growled darkly, clenching my fists at my side. Those idiots will never learn. They just keep on coming back, no matter how many times we blast them away. You know one day, maybe we should just lock them up. Maybe then we could get some peace and quiet.

"Normally I would be quite upset with people like you." Lucian began but then his hard expression softened as he looked up at Buizel. "But I'm not." Buizel was hammering away at the bars of his cage, looking strong and defiant just like before.

"I'll save you Buizel!"

"Me too!" Ash and Dawn both yelled but Lucian gave an easy smile.

"Now hold on. You see, this maybe just the chance that Buizel's been waiting for." He said but Dawn didn't seem to understand until we all looked back up at Buizel, who was stomping his feet and looking perfectly enraged at being trapped. "Buizel's anger at being caged has completely erased the sadness of losing our battle."

Buizel was now hammering away at the bars with Sonic Boom, trying to break through however he didn't seem to be having much success, the bars holding firm and his tiredness seemed to come over him, leaving his escape attempt to fall down the drain. "Don't give up Buizel, you can do it!" Dawn yelled up to him. "Keep going!"

Suddenly Buizel seemed to be filled with new energy at Dawn's encouragement and his tail began to glow brightly as amplified power attacks hammered away at the bars, causing them to crack and crumble until finally, the cage shattered and Buizel dropped back safely to the ground. "Alright! Buizel you did it!" Dawn cheered, glad to have her Pokémon back safe and sound.

"Did what?! Mortgaged our future?" Jessie practically shrieked as Team Rocket returned, the balloon landing softly on the ground so that they could all jump out. "Looks like we're back to Plan A. Dustox go!"

"You too Carnivine!" James echoed but his Carnivine instantly anchored itself around James, making him yell and kick about. Buizel spun around, ready to battle as he focused in on his two opponents.

"Alright! You ready to go Buizel?" Dawn questioned but then Lucian lifted a hand.

"Hold on Dawn, not so fast. I'd like the honour." He said then stepped forwards to stand behind Buizel. Jessie and James sent out their Pokémon with their own attacks and Buizel stood there, ready to battle but Dawn yelped fearfully.

"Look out Buizel, dodge it!" She called out but Lucian reassured her gently.

"There's really no need for that at all." He informed before giving a slight smirk. "Buizel! Water Gun, let's go." He ordered and Buizel instantly slammed a strong water attack at both advancing Pokémon, knocking them both backwards and making everyone around me gasp in shock.

"Buizel did just what Lucian said!" Ash stared in awe as Jessie and James called their next attacks as their Pokémon recovered from the initial hit but Buizel dodged by jumping up easily, smirking confidently and his tail twitched. Of course! I know exactly what move is coming next.

"Alright Buizel, now use Sonic Boom!" Buizel knocked out Carnivine with the next hit and finally took out Dustox after going for an Aqua Jet which Lucian called for. I could see what he was doing. He was letting Buizel use his own battle style and falling in sync with him so that they worked together. Awesome!

"Dawn, see how this works?" Lucian questioned and she blinked up at him. "Buizel has his own unique style, his own battle rhythm. A trainer's task is to discover that unique style and help their Pokémon develop it." He informed her and Dawn looked to Buizel.

"I think I'm really starting to get this." She said as Buizel took in deep breaths, still focussing on his two opponents.

"Now Buizel, use Water Gun!" Buizel hammered Team Rocket with his water attack and they shot off into the air as their balloon exploded from the powerful jet spray, blasting them off into the air and I chuckled, tilting my hat with a smirk.

"Got to love their idiocy." I said then walked over to Buizel and Dawn as she complimented him on his awesome battling.

"I think Buizel's going to be just fine." I told her with a smile as Buizel looked up at me, giving me a confident expression. "After all, a battling spirit is what makes up most of Buizel and it's pretty hard to put out for long. How about we kick back and relax by heading over to the river for some fun?" I suggested and Buizel instantly began to agree.

"Bui-Bui, Bui, Bui-Bui Bui!" Lucian chuckled and spoke a few more words of advice to Dawn before we all said farewell, parting as friends with a promise to one day meet each other again on a battlefield. I couldn't' wait for that day. Who knows? Maybe it'll come sooner than I think.


	11. Chapter 11

Well it's nice to relax, but when Ash's mind is set on a gym battle, there's just no stopping him. We did manage to pull him away from his gym battle long enough to visit a museum, but we happened to go the day a precious artefact was stolen by a bunch of thieves, who just so happened to be Team Rocket. They'd stolen the Adamant Orb, an precious item meant to increase the power of Dialga, a legendary Pokémon.

After a merry chase around the museum, we finally cornered them and got the orb back, which then led to Ash's battle with Gardenia the next day. It was awesome, especially when it came down to Roserade and Aipom. I've never seen Aipom battle the way she did with Roserade, it was like she was in a contest rather than a gym match, however she pulled through and won Ash the Forest Badge.

The _real_ excitement, however, came when Brock's egg hatched. We were taking shelter from a storm in a Pokémon Centre when the egg started to glow. We quickly got Nurse Joy and she set it up with a monitor to make sure that everything was alright until finally, Brock's little Happiny arrived.

The pre-evolved form of Chansey, Happiny was very pink, very cute, but _very_ strong. She could lift up rocks, Brock and pretty much anything else, though she as cute too. Brock made her a smooth stone which she kept in her pouch like a little egg and Brock couldn't be happier than he was bottle feeding his new Pokémon.

I don't think I've ever seen Dawn so intrigued either. She'd never seen an egg hatch before so it was a totally new experience for her, though I could tell she loved it all. After travelling on for a few days, we stopped at another Pokémon Centre only to learn that the champion of Sinnoh was actually close by, and of course we all wanted to see her.

Cynthia was in Amity Square, where loads of kids were gathered to see her as she inspected an old tombstone of some ruins, licking an ice cream as she did so. "Wow, she's even more ravishing then on TV!" Brock exclaimed with doe eyes so I gripped his ear.

"Go all goofy on us again and I'll find you a TV to wear." I told him, snapping him to his senses. Suddenly we all noticed Paul walking out in front of us, eyes set on Cynthia but Ash called out to him.

"Hey Paul! We haven't seen you since Oreburg. How many badges do you have? I've got two of them." Ash informed, trying to start a friendly conversation but Paul, as usual, gave a rather _un_ friendly answer.

"It's really none of your business." He spat slightly, glaring coldly before turning and walking forwards then stopped a little way from the champion. "You're Cynthia, aren't you?" He questioned in a surprisingly polite tone.

"Yes that's right." She answered, turning around to look at him.

"My name is Paul, I'm from Valestone. I'd like to challenge you to a battle." Instantly everyone's mouths dropped open save for mine. I only clenched my jaw and instantly look to where I could sense Chimchar's aura. Another tough training regime for Chimchar, for some unknown and brutal reason.

Around me I could hear the kids whispering in surprise and disdain, wondering how Paul could just challenge Cynthia like that, however the champ seemed just as surprised as everyone else. "It's been a while since I took a field challenge. Are you competing in the Sinnoh league now?" She questioned and Paul nodded.

"That's right."

"Very well. Then I accept your challenge." She said with a pretty smile, making me arch an eyebrow then relax slightly. She seems nice. This should be an awesome battle.

"Do you mind if we battle with six Pokémon each?" Paul questioned but she shook her head, still smiling.

"No problem." What's he doing? Surely he should know that there's no way he has a chance against a champion, even if his Pokémon are all trained to be hard core and powerful. "Let's get this battle underway. Garchomp, battle dance!" Love the battle motto. It's got a nice ring to it. Her Pokémon was pretty impressive too, being strong, tall and incredibly powerful even when it just stood there.

"Wow, there's Garchomp!" Ash said then looked up the information on his Pokédex.

"Chimchar, standby for battle!" Paul said with a little force, making me blink in surprise as Chimchar appeared, eyes narrowed in determination. Paul should know this was a bad matchup. Garchomp was part ground type which made it strong against fire attacks but also Chimchar was still in its first stage of his evolution, meaning he wasn't yet as powerful as he could be. He's going to get creamed.

"Paul, you may have the first attack." Cynthia said and Paul bowed his head gratefully to the champion.

"Thank you. Chimchar, use Fire Spin, go!" Chimchar instantly powered the fire attack at Garchomp, who didn't even both trying to dodge. He just lifted one of its arms and used the blade to guard his face and took the attack without even flinching. Now that's strength. "Now Dig!" Paul ordered and Chimchar burrowed his way underground, however Cynthia gave a little smirk.

"We'll use Dig as well." She announced and Garchomp dug its way into the earth whilst still covered in flames, diving down and when they next appeared, Chimchar had taken a full hit alongside his own flames, increasing the damage and he was flung to the ground hard, making me sharply inhale as my eyes widened.

"Chimchar!" I yelped without thinking, looking to the poor little Pokémon as he lay on the ground. "Chimchar are you okay?" But Chimchar just lay there, completely worn out. Paul returned him to his Pokéball, but it was his words which truly angered me.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Stupid jerk. Chimchar did the best he could and even landed a direct hit. You shouldn't put him down like that Paul!

"Weavile. Standby for battle!" Paul called out his next Pokémon and the ice type appeared with a hiss and a scary expression which even made me shiver.

"An ice type, good choice Paul." Cynthia complimented but Paul didn't thank her for the complimented but dove straight back into battle.

"Weavile, Blizzard!" He ordered and the Pokémon blew a freezing cold wind with ice and snow at Garchomp, who again only lifted a bladed arm to shield his face and despite the type advantage, I don't think it did very much damage at all.

"Dragon Rush." Cynthia said with a knowing look and Garchomp instantly leaped up into the air.

"Why doesn't Weavile dodge it?" Dawn questioned, staring as the Pokémon just stood there frozen in place.

"Dragon Rush is a move that focuses the body into a weapon that strikes with incredible power. Any opponent loses its ability to escape from it." Brock explained to us all as Garchomp began to glow blue as it tunnelled down straight for Weavile.

"In that case use Ice Beam!" Paul ordered and his Weavile began to strike out with the attack but Garchomp avoided both hits and struck his opponent full on, knocking Weavile out with one hit again. It was the same for Murkrow, being taken out with a Giga Impact, however at that point, Paul only smirked.

"Hold on. What's Paul smiling about?" Ash questioned.

"I guess he's got a strategy after all." I shrugged simply, looking down at Leafeon who was watching the battle with us all. He looked up at me then gently nuzzled his head against my leg to reassure and comfort me before we both looked back again.

"Torterra, standby for battle!" Paul yelled and instantly I realised his gameplay. With Giga Impact, the user can't move due to its need to recharge. "Use Giga Drain!" Paul commanded and Torterra instantly launched out green streams which wrapped around Garchomp and began to sap its energy. "Giga Impact is a powerful move, but it's also one of Garchomp's weak points." Paul gloated slightly as the green disappeared and Garchomp fell to his knees, shocking everyone who was watching. "Now use Frenzy Plant!" No way!

Suddenly large brown vines shot up from the ground and powered into Garchomp and caused the entire ground to shake and tremble as a cloud of dust shot out around us all. I fell to my knees and grabbed Leafeon, keeping him close to make sure he was okay but when the cloud settled, it was to see Garchomp kneeling on the ground with his blades protecting him from the impact, making Paul start in shock.

"Use Brick Break." Cynthia called and with one hit, Torterra was taken out as well.

"Well…what can you say? She's the champion!" Ash said in awe as Paul returned his Pokémon.

"Guess that's it then." He said and Cynthia graciously bowed her head.

"I guess so. Nice battle Garchomp." She said and her Pokémon looked back at her with a proud gleam in his eye, making me smile as I stood with Leafeon in my arms. The kids all laughed at Paul's apparent humiliation but Ash surprisingly rose to Paul's defence, telling them to knock it off and complimented him for an awesome battle.

Looking at Ash, I couldn't help but smile. Guess he'll never stop surprising me as much as my Pokémon do. After thanking Cynthia, Paul turned and began to walk away however Ash wasn't about to let him get away so fast. "Paul wait, that's not the way to the Pokémon Centre you know."

"Paul hold it right there." Cynthia ordered and Paul stopped in his tracks out of respect for the champion. "Bringing injured Pokémon to a Pokémon Centre is a trainer's first responsibility you know." She said, giving him a hard look as I stepped forward to stand in front of him, fully prepared to steal his Pokéballs to take them to Nurse Joy myself however he seemed to see sense.

"Right." However when we got to the Pokémon Centre, it turned out Nurse Joy was needed in surgery immediately and couldn't care for Paul's Pokémon.

"Then there's no choice. I'll have to treat them myself." She announced and we all looked at her in surprise. Wow, she sure is a great champion.

"I'll help you!" Brock declared, rushing forwards. "Anything you need, you just let me know." Brock said and I watched as Croagunk appeared, ready with a Poison Jab however when Cynthia peeped around Brock to look down at Croagunk with a sweet smile, Croagunk bashfully looked up at her, stopping his attack and I giggled before walking forwards.

"I'll help you too. We're good with dealing with Pokémon injuries." I said then gestured to a room. "This room looks free, we can help Paul's Pokémon in here." So Paul let out all his Pokémon onto beds and Cynthia began to work on their battle injuries.

I worked on Murkrow, who seemed very grateful after I bandaged his wing and gave him some supplements, nibbling on my fingers carefully and I giggled before gently stroking his feathers. "Now you rest easy, okay?" I said softly, picking him up to lie him down on his front. "You need to gain back your strength." I whispered gently as Murkrow stretched then settled down to rest so I then turned to Chimchar who sat up as I walked over. "Hey there you cutie. Remember me?" I questioned and Chimchar instantly smiled.

"Chimchar!" He cheered and I giggled as I began his check up.

"Well, you're very tense and stressed Chimchar, and you've hurt your ankle a little but it's just a sprain, so I'll bandage it up for you." I told him. "But first, you need to take these vitamins. They'll help you grow healthy and strong, just try not to think about the taste." I said, taking out some small supplements then placed them in his mouth before giving him a drink. Chimchar swallowed shuddered then opened his mouth again to show me that he'd swallowed and even lifted his tongue without me needing to ask to make sure I knew he'd taken them. "Great! And for being so good, I've got a little treat for you." I said, unaware of Cynthia watching me. "Here, it's a lava cookie. I made it myself."

"Chimchar?" Chimchar took my offering and ate it before his eyes widened and he beamed happily as I wrapped up his ankle. "Chimchar Chim!"

"You like that? Good! I bake them for my Charizard, they've got a bit of a kick, don't they?" I said as I gently rubbed Chimchar's head. "Now you need to rest. You fought really hard today and you did so great." I complimented, laying Chimchar down for some sleep. "Garchomp was a tough opponent." Everyone gathered around as Chimchar settled down and when his tail flame went out, I was satisfied that he was now resting peacefully.

"Chimchar's flame is gone!" Dawn whispered in shock but I merely chuckled.

"It's okay Dawn. That means that Chimchar is fast asleep. Their tail flames always go out when they go to sleep, remember?" I said then fondly brushing my fingers against Chimchar's head before stepping back, looking up at Cynthia who had been watching me.

"I'm very impressed. You obviously care very much about Pokémon." She said to me as Leafeon walked over to my side and sat down. "And your Leafeon, it is certainly the most impressive I have ever seen. I've never seen eyes so bright or fur so shiny." She informed and I blushed modestly as Leafeon puffed out his chest proudly.

"I owe it all to Brock. He's the one who taught me everything I know." I said and he blushed a little.

"Don't be modest. You've done a lot of learning and researching on your own." He answered and I gave him a smile before Cynthia turned to Paul.

"All set. Your Pokémon should be better in no time." She told him and he stood up straight from where he'd been leaning against the wall, letting us all get on with our work.

"Thank you Cynthia."

"Paul, your Pokémon are all very well trained, and I'm especially impressed with your Torterra." She turned to look over all the sleeping Pokémon, resting from their exhausting battle. "It's really quite amazing."

"Torterra was my very first Pokémon." Paul revealed and we all looked at him.

"That's incredible!"

"You raised it from a Turtwig?" Brock questioned and Paul gave a sharp nod of his head.

"Right. We've travelled a lot. We made our way through the Hoenn, Johto and Kanto leagues but didn't win any of them. It was also during that time I caught Weavile and Murkrow." Ash and I instantly looked to little Chimchar, sleeping on the bed.

"What about Chimchar?" He asked and Paul's eyes flicked over that way.

"After I came back to Sinnoh."

"You've done a lot with Chimchar in such a short time." Cynthia said to him warmly but Paul replied with a hard coldness that only he seemed able to achieve.

"So what? Chimchar still didn't do much of a great job against Garchomp, if you remember." That instantly made my blood boil.

"When will you learn that Chimchar is doing his best?" I demanded to know. "You should be grateful he even sticks around. If I were Chimchar, I'd have run away from you ages ago because you're such a stuck up, mean and cold hearted bully. You have no idea how depressed Chimchar feels around you, do you?" Brock rested a hand on my shoulder and tried to calm me down but it was Leafeon who pulled me back, butting his head against my legs to force me to take a step back from Paul until I'd calmed myself down.

"Until you got hit with that Giga Impact, I don't think you cared how many of your Pokémon took a fall." Ash said to Paul who looked at him crudely.

"Your point?"

"Come on! How do you think your Pokémon felt about that? Don't you get it Paul? Winning that way is only a win for you!" Ash told him but Paul wasn't hearing him.

"Oh give me a break, a win is a win." He answered so I growled and leaped forwards though Brock smartly held me back by my arm.

"Sure I'll give you a break. Which would you prefer? Arm, leg or face?" I offered but he just ignored me.

"The only way to win is _with_ your Pokémon. Why don't you care about your Pokémon?!" Ash demanded so Paul answered him simply and bluntly.

"Because then they'll get spoiled and Chimchar is the perfect example of exactly what I mean. A spoiled Pokémon who doesn't try hard enough." That snapped me out of my rage. Spoiled? Chimchar? No way.

"Alright mister." I said, breaking free from Brock's grip as I spoke in a dangerously calm voice. "You think Chimchar is spoiled? Then how about you come over here and I'll prove you wrong." I said, walking over to Chimchar and gently lay a hand on his back then held out my other to Paul. "Get over here. Now." Paul approached and everyone watched as I narrowed my eyes at Paul. He glanced to my hand so I snatched his and instantly, I focused on Chimchar's aura.

The moment Paul felt it, his entire body tensed, eyes going wide as I let him feel everything Chimchar did. All the repressed emotion save for the fear, guilt and shame. Soiled my rear. Chimchar is one of the most decent Pokémon I've ever come across. It's _Paul_ who's the spoiled one. Having so many great Pokémon but like a brat, doesn't appreciate any one of them.

Paul whipped back his hand and the connection was broken. Chimchar stirred under my touch so I hushed him gently and he fell back asleep. Lifting my eyes to face Paul, I could see he was shaken. "Still think he's spoiled?" I demanded to know in a dark voice but Paul turned away.

"You've just shown me he's a coward as well. Nothing's changed. I'll grow strong my way and you can do whatever you want with your Pokémon. Play with them or enter them in stupid contests. I don't care."

"Hey! Contests are not stupid." Dawn defended but my eyes were still fixed on Paul.

"You know one day we're going to meet in a league. When that day comes, I am _really_ going to enjoy squishing you like a _bug_." I told him but then Cynthia's voice woke us all up from our heated rivalry.

"You want to grow stronger?" She questioned and we all turned to look at her. "If you do, there's something I want you to see." Cynthia gestured and we followed her back to the ruins where she stood before a stone plaque, one she had been observing earlier. "The words that are written here completely changed my life. When every life meets another life, something will be born." The words instantly began to bubble inside my mind, trying to decipher what it meant. "When I was younger, I used to dream of nothing but becoming powerful by being victorious in battle and so I trained endlessly. Then I discovered that even the same types of Pokémon have unique personalities. That's when I decided to get to know each and every one of them better." Hey, that's just like me!

As Cynthia continued to think, I turned and walked over to the rise overlooking the town where a glorious sun was beginning to set. The trees rustled with the wind and I breathed in its fragrant scent as the leaves that were pulled from the branches danced around.

Leafeon stood at my side, looking out also as the words repeated over and over again in my mind. When every life meets another life, something will be born. Like Vaporeon and Umbreon, something was born when they met. Like a destiny knot tying them together. Or even when I met each and every one of my Pokémon. When I met them, a new love and step in my journey was created.

"Ruby." Cynthia said as she came and stood by my side. "We cannot know where our destiny will lead us, but by trusting in our Pokémon, we can find the way. I think you will become a great master of Pokémon one day, I can see it in your eyes how much you care for them and I do not need a battle to know how strong you are. All I need to do is look at your Leafeon." She said, smiling down at my companion as I turned to face her.

"You said you wanted to get to know Pokémon better." I started and Cynthia nodded her head. "Isn't the best way to do that is to just spend time with them?"

"Yes. But there are many ways to do that. You can be training, relaxing, having fun or even share a time of great pain and unhappiness, every way will teach you something about Pokémon and about life. You just need to keep searching for the answers you're looking for."

"But what if I don't know the questions?" I queried, making Cynthia chuckle.

"Sometimes we don't need to ask to find an answer." Blinking slightly I looked up at the champion, wondering how she got to be the great person she was today before smiling and nodding my head. We walked back to the Pokémon Centre together, all thinking our own thoughts but when we noticed Team Rocket running our way with a Chimchar, we instantly saw trouble.

"It's Paul's Chimchar!" Ash called and we all ran after them.

"Team Rocket! You'd better give Chimchar back right NOW!" I yelled.

"Or you'll be sorry!" Brock echoed as we all raced to catch up but Team Rocket dived into the trees then rose up on their balloon, carrying Chimchar with them. No, they can't take Chimchar! I won't let them!

"Staravia!"

"Charizard!" Both Ash and I called at the same time but then Paul stepped ahead of us.

"Ursaring, standby!" He ordered and the giant bear Pokémon roared, lifting its clawed paws up high. "Use Hyper Beam." Chimchar, who was now awake, leaped out of the balloon and tumbled towards the ground as the balloon exploded.

"Hold on Chimchar, I got you!" I called and sprung forwards, leaping up and caught Chimchar in my arms only to land flat on my back, grunting from the impact of a badly executed jump. Well, at least Chimchar is okay.

"Chimchar?" My little buddy opened his eyes and blinked as I sat up and smiled down at him.

"Hey there sleepyhead, you gave us all quite a scare." I told him and Chimchar blinked with wide eyes up at me, quite baffled how I'd actually run to catch him. "You okay? Team Rocket didn't hurt you or anything did they?" But Paul wasn't going to let him answer.

"Look, I don't care if you did get injured. To be captured by a bunch of losers? Useless!" The last straw snapped.

"You sour faced Weedle! Can't you cut Chimchar some slack?" I demanded, leaping up and held Chimchar in a protective embrace. "If anyone around here is useless, it's you! You can't even take care of your own Pokémon properly!"

"Alright enough. The important thing now is that Chimchar is safe and sound." Cynthia said, trying to calm things down but I was still totally mad at Paul. How could he treat Chimchar this way? It's totally unfair.

"I want my Pokémon back. Give it to me." Paul ordered but I didn't move. No way was I going to hand Chimchar back to a mean jerk like him. There's just no way. Cynthia's eyes narrowed as she saw me refusing to budge.

"Ruby, you can't keep Chimchar. You'd be breaking the law if you refuse to return him to Paul." Stupid law. Don't they have one that says idiots, punks and jackasses can't have Pokémon? "Ruby." Her tone was warning now but still I couldn't do it. I didn't want to let Chimchar go back. He wasn't happy. I knew it!

"Chimchar." My little friend said, touching my face and I opened my eyes to look down at him. "Chimchar Chim…" He nodded his head to me and I knew what he was saying. He wanted to go back to Paul. Can't think why. Paul doesn't appreciate how hard Chimchar works for him. It's sickening and saddening.

Chimchar tightened his grip around my neck in a hug then jumped down to the ground, looking up at Paul who returned him to his Pokéball, however I looked away as I spoke. "You don't deserve a Pokémon as great as Chimchar." I said through gritted teeth before bolting past everyone. "Don't follow me!" I ordered then called out Ponyta, jumping up onto his back with Leafeon and he galloped away as I struggled to keep my tears at bay. I hate seeing a Pokémon being treated so badly, it literally breaks my heart.

Ponyta carried me back the way we had come, stopping at the ruins where I jumped down and flung my arms around both Leafeon and Ponyta, cradling them close as I cried quietly. "It's just not fair. Chimchar trains so hard and Paul just beats him down every day…I wish I could just take him away from it.

Once I had no more tears left to shed I sat down at the ruins and just stared out into the setting sun, watching until the last ray of light had disappeared as Ponyta nestled down before me, his bright flames keeping us all warm as he munched on the grass. "You know Ponyta. Leafeon. For all my talk about wanting to help Pokémon, I haven't done a single thing to make a difference." I murmured, staring into the same space I had done for the last two hours. "Makes me wonder if I can really do it."

"Leafeon." Ponyta gave an answering snort, looking at me as if he were saying I was being ridiculous and I should just shut up right now. "Leafeon Leaf." Leafeon nuzzled my hand, giving it a lick before resting his paws and head on my lap, settling there as I continued to stare outward blankly.

"I just hope one day it'll all work out. I'll find land wherever I can, make it private and protected property, build a secret city for Pokémon and help keep them safe. Pokémon like Chimchar who deserve better than what they've got."

"Leaf." Leafeon nodded my head, curling up tighter to get more comfortable as Ponyta rubbed his head against my legs, trying to comfort me so I reached out and gently stroked his long nose.

"I'll travel the world, finding Pokémon and helping them. I'll bring down any organisation who stands in my way. Whether it's Team Rocket, Team Galactic or Team Ice Cream. I'll find a way to take them all out so that both Pokémon and people can be safe." My Pokémon both answered in agreement, promising me their help so I smiled. "We'll have to become very strong though. Almost invincible. Do you think we can do that?" I questioned and they nodded their heads again. "I think we can too. I'm only a kid now, but we've got years and years ahead of us. We can use that time to become the greatest battlers there ever was. You, Charizard, Pidgeot, Dragonair, Vaporeon…we'll all work together."

Looking to the stone where two carvings of Dialga and Palkia stood, glimmered bright blue from Ponyta's flame, I gave a little smile. It sure would be amazing to meet Pokémon like that. Legendary Pokémon who control both time and space. It's enough to frighten you really with how powerful they are. I'm just glad they understand balance and the need for life to continue existing.

It's just a shame not everyone can see the same thing. People like Team Galactic…I doubt they even see anything other than what they want and don't care how many people or Pokémon they hurt in their fight to get it.

Well. I'll be there to stop them.


	12. Chapter 12

With the next contest being double battles, Dawn was working hard. You see, we'd run into Zoey, who had sprained her ankle and she'd told Dawn how the next contest was going to be double battles, which means the preliminary round was a double performance. With such a wide range of Pokémon, things weren't working out too well combining moves, so Dawn and I were working hard.

I was helping her to train, having done a few double performances and battles myself so I used Leafeon and Ponyta for Dawn to practice against. Let's just say it's a good thing we came prepared with plenty of Super Potion.

Anyway we'd been practicing for a while, however on our way to the next Pokémon Centre, we seemed to have…momentarily misplaced ourselves. In other words, I think we're lost again. Either that or this Pokémon Centre is taking forever to get to.

It was dark, I was getting tired and the others were hungry. "Where is that Pokémon Centre already?!" Dawn demanded, folding her arms as she trudged at my side.

"Man I'm starving."

"Pikachu…" Pikachu and Ash complained with their stomachs, which rumbled loudly and I looked down at Leafeon to see he was also getting tired so I picked him up and he snuggled close for warmth.

"I know. We went the wrong way." Dawn said but Brock shook his head.

"Nope. Now all we do is turn left." He told us, following the map and the path which did in fact turn left but when we all looked up, all we could see was a rundown old building which looked like it could collapse at any moment. "That's nothing but some sort of gate."

"It sure looks creepy." Dawn noted with a shiver just as tiny specks of water began to drip down on our heads, making me look up to find a sudden deluge pour over us. "Great, it's raining!"

"Come on! Let's get out of this." Ash said and hurried over to the gateway where we stood under the beaten up roof for shelter, looking up at the dark sky as I took off my hat and shook it out to get the water gathered there away.

"Now that's a rain shower." I said, looking out to see the rain hammering at the ground. "Did anyone bring soap?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait it out." Ash said as Brock studied his map closely, trying to figure out where we were.

"There's got to be a Pokémon Centre around here somewhere, I'm sure." Brock frowned, trying to see in the dark so Leafeon used Synthesis, glowing brightly to give Brock a little extra light.

"Yah, all we need to do is find it. Hey, maybe out there!" Ash turned and began to walk to the other side of the gate.

"Maybe you're right genius." I agreed, following after him after putting Leafeon back down on the ground so that he could walk by my side.

"Wish we had an umbrella. Huh?" Brock suddenly stopped as we all looked out and around only to find that the place before us was completely dry without a speck of rain anywhere, but when we looked back it was still coming down in buckets. "That's weird. It's not raining on this side."

"Then that's the way we go!" Ash decided firmly, jumping off into the long grass and began walking so we all followed, however the further away we got from the gate, the thicker the fog seemed to grow around us.

"Wow, I can't see a thing!" Dawn said so I quickly took her hand then found Brock's.

"Everyone stick together. We don't want to get separated." I said diplomatically. "Leafeon, stay close to me okay?"

"Leafeon." He nodded his head and I continued to walk with everyone, however when a hoard of Crobat appeared right before our eyes, we all yelled and ran for it as their wings fluttered too close for comfort, making my heart jolt in my chest.

When we stopped running I took a deep breath to calm myself down then quickly did a head count. Dawn, Brock, Ash, Pikachu and Leafeon. Yup, we're all here. "Now how do we know where we are?" Dawn questioned with worry, looking around her into the thick fog.

"I guess we should just turn around." Brock said but then we all noticed a strange purple flash before us, making us all stop and stare.

"Where's the light coming from Ruby?" Ash asked me so I whacked the back of his head.

"How should I know genius?"

"We're all clueless on this one." Brock said with a slight chatter of teeth. Without warning the fog lifted away in less than a moment, as if it had never been there in the first place, making us all inch a little closer with worry.

"Hey look!" Dawn suddenly called and pointed ahead. "It's the Pokémon Centre!" A very interesting looking one too. It looked like something you'd see in a child's fairy tale book, with misshapen structures and glowing lights that looked like little fairies. It was kind of cute.

"See? I told you we'd find it!" Ash crowed cheerfully before we all head on inside. "Hi Nurse Joy!"

"Welcome to my centre." She greeted us and before I could catch him, Brock had leaped ahead and grabbed Nurse Joy's hands.

"Wow! There's no one as beautiful as my Nurse Joy!" He declared but before I could walk over and grab his ear, the most unexpected thing happened.

"I can't believe my eyes! Your name wouldn't happen to be Brock now, would it?" Nurse Joy questioned, placing her hand over Brock's and gazing up at him with a blush to her cheeks.

"Yes, yes it would." Brock answered, just as dumbfounded as we were.

"What a thrill, I've been looking forward to the day when I'd meet you." Shock horror stampeded through me as well as the others, all of us staring with mouths agape.

"WHAT?!"

"You wanted to meet me?" Brock asked and Nurse Joy's blush grew darker as she bowed her head.

"Of course."

"Then that could only mean one thing, can it?" No, please don't say it Nurse Joy, don't say it!

"Brock…I like you." Brock practically blew the roof off this place, standing in shock and awe as he yelled.

"WOW! It's a dream, nobody wake me up!" He said but Nurse Joy merely gave a little giggle.

"It's not a dream. I really, really like you."

"Well you're not the only one." A new voice spoke up and we all blinked to see Officer Jenny standing there with her head modestly bowed and a rosy hue touching her cheeks, making Brock go crazy all over again as Jenny and Joy began to fight over who loved Brock more.

"Now my dream has Jenny in it too! But wait, I should find out if this really is a dream. Alright Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" He yelled and Pikachu blinked, confused by the request then looked to Ash who gave a smile and nodded his head, so Pikachu jumped up and zapped Brock, making him go all coo-coo and both Jenny and Joy held him upright as he groaned. This is getting weird.

"We thought you'd be here." A familiar voice spoke and both Ash and I turned to see none other than Professor Oak standing there.

"We've been waiting!" And Johanna joined him, startling Dawn completely.

"Professor Oak!"

"And mom?!"

"What's going on?" I asked them both, standing there with Leafeon completely in shock. Looks like weird just got weirder.

"Why, just an offer for you to enter the world's greatest Pokémon trainer playoffs, that's all!" Professor Oak informed Ash whilst pointing at him and the genius stared in shock.

"Man, I'd love to do that."

"And Dawn, they want you to enter the world's greatest Pokémon coordinator playoffs!" Dawn's mom revealed, stunning Dawn so that she wore a near identical expression to Ash. What's going on? Pokémon playoffs? I've never heard of competitions like that before.

"My boy, if you win this then you'll be known as the greatest Pokémon trainer!" Professor Oak declared as Johanna jumped to stand by her daughter.

"And if Dawn wins then she'll be known as the greatest Pokémon coordinator!"

"You know winning's always been my dream!" Ash said, making my suspicious eyes snap to the side to fixate on him. Dream?

"And my dream too!" So wait a second. Brock meets a Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny who have fallen in love with him, Ash gets his chance to become a world class Pokémon trainer and Dawn gets her chance to be a top coordinator. They all get their dreams, so what's going on here?

"Why the long face Rubes?" My back stiffened and I felt my chest constrict tightly upon hearing his voice. "For a pretty girl like you, it's not attractive to frown all the time." Gary told me with his usual cocky smirk as he walked forwards, looking the same way he always had only better looking and taller. Wow.

"Hey, I do not frown all the time and…you think I'm pretty?" I stopped myself to blink in surprise at him as he smirked further, stopping as he stood in front of me.

"Sure I do. I've always thought you were pretty." My heart skipped a beat as I blushed, feeling a tight knot settle in my stomach. Stop it Ruby, focus. It's only Gary Oak. The jerk, jackass and arrogant snob. Remember? "I've got some great news for you Rubes. I found a perfect place for you to start up your sanctuary. It's a secret valley not too far from here, and it's so big you could build nearly five cities there."

"Really?!" I lifted my head, growing excited. "What's it look like? Is it a safe habitat? Is it hidden?" I rattled off question after question and I only stopped when Gary took my hand and entwined his fingers through mine, making me freeze in place once more and stare down at the contact.

"How about we go watch Ashy boy and the airhead with their battles, huh?" He suggested and I only nodded dumbly, hardly registering what he had said. We walked up into the stands and watched Dawn battle he mother and a Milotic whilst Ash battled Cynthia with a Rayquaza, however I just couldn't stop staring at Gary, who was still holding my hand.

"Um…Gary? You can let go now." I told him but then he turned a dashing smile on me.

"Now why would I want to do that Rubes?" He asked me tenderly, lifting my hand to his lips and placed a charming kiss against my knuckles, looking straight into my eyes as I gulped down the large lump that had risen in my throat. This is getting weird…but I can't deny that I'm not glad he's here. I miss Gary when we're both on the road. A lot. "You and me, we were made for each other. Ever since we were little I knew you were the one for me."

"Really?" I questioned a little breathlessly but then I stopped. Gary would never say that. Both of us hated one another as kids, we couldn't stand to be in the same _breathing_ space, so why is he being all gooey and nice now? Sure it's like a dream come true but…uh oh…dream come true. This can't be real!

"Hey guys! This isn't real! It's just an illusion!" Brock was yelling as Dawn and Ash stood with their prize collections of ribbons and badges. I ripped my hand free from Gary and stood up, leaning over the side.

"He's right, this can't be real! All our dreams are coming true, AT THE SAME TIME!" I yelled frantically then jumped over the side, abandoning the fake Gary to run to the others.

"It's true, Mismagius must have used Confuse Ray to make us all see illusions." Brock explained as I reached them all.

"Mismagius?" Ash questioned but then we noticed how the commentator was smirking at us, giving a twisted laugh before shifting shape into a purplish Pokémon which floated in the air.

"What's that?!" Dawn squeaked then pulled out her Pokédex to see the information stored.

"Mismagius, the magical Pokémon. Mismagius chants incantations, and whilst some can cause misery, others can bring happiness as well." Looking around I saw the stadium become old and broken, the people disappearing and I watched as Gary disappeared from sight, looking down at me with a glare and I had to mentally slap myself. Focus Rubes, no distractions.

The cases of badges and ribbons fell to dust in Ash and Dawn's hands, drifting away on the breeze as Ash glared at the ghost Pokémon. "Mismagius, why'd you do that to us?" He demanded but the Pokémon merely laughed, toying with us all. "It's not funny!"

"Cool it genius. Let's just get out of here." I told him, keeping an eye on Mismagius before tugging on his arm. "Come on, let's go!" We all started to run, heading for the exit. "Cute outfit by the way Dawn." I mentioned, making Dawn toss me a smile but when we ran through the opening on the other side, we found ourselves standing in the rotting stadium once again.

"We're going around in circles!"

"Obviously more of Mismagius's cruel tricks." Brock growled darkly, the four of us standing close together as the ground suddenly quaked and broke, the figure of Rayquaza appearing with a thunderous snarl, making us all backtrack with a gasp of fear. Not good.

Mismagius appeared, giving a menacing chuckle before emerging with the illusion Rayquaza, turning it purple and dark pink which looked just as cool as its green body. Awesome! Wait, RUN! Got to go, got to go! "Whoa, Mismagius merged with Rayquaza!" Ash said as I raced past him whilst grabbing his hand, urging him to continue running.

"Run now admire later. Move it genius!" I ordered so we all hit the gas and ran for all we were worth, the freaky Rayquaza merged Mismagius chasing us down with Hyper Beam hot on our tail. Finally we ran free from the stadium and soon found the gate just ahead of us.

"Look, the gate!" Brock called. "Remember, this all started when we went through that gate!"

"Right, then let's retrace our steps!" Dawn said as she ran, me taking the lead as I ran the fastest. Suddenly Ash grabbed me and pulled me back as we all cried out, the Rayquaza stopping us in our tracks as it landed in front of us then blasted the ground with Hyper Beam, keeping us back and contained however we were swiftly growing impatient.

"We're not going to let it stop us!"

"Right! Go Piplup!"

"Leafeon, it's show time!" I called as Brock drew out Croagunk.

"Croagunk, you too!" With our four Pokémon, we faced Rayquaza.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup use Bubblebeam!"

"Poison Sting Croagunk!"

"Leafeon, use Razor Leaf now!" I ordered as everyone stood in line side by side and our Pokémon all jumped up, sending out their attacks which hit Rayquaza full on, however even with a four tied hit, it still brushed it off and hit us all back with an incredible Twister.

"That Rayquaza's got some power!" Brock yelled over the wind as it hammered down on us, shielding our faces to keep dust out of our eyes.

"Yeah well we're not giving up so easy! Iron Tail Pikachu, let's go!" We all called out our next attacks but still it hardly did a thing as we were blasted back with Hyper Beam. Okay, now I'm _mad_! This thing is going to pay for tossing around this way.

Suddenly the Pokémon all began to grow in size, getting their wish, or their dreams as it were, until they were almost as big as Rayquaza. Wow. Now that's awesome. Our next attacks came with a contest twist, so I focused on Leafeon. "Leaf Blade with a summersault spin!" I ordered and Leafeon instantly charged forwards, leaping up as Piplup jumped back out the way and tucked up into a ball with a green glowing tail which hammered against Rayquaza until Leafeon pulled out the way for Croagunk's corkscrew Poison Jab.

Finally Rayquaza dropped to the ground, defeated and all the Pokémon shrunk back to their normal size. Good thing too. Imagine how long it would take me to groom a supersized Leafeon. _Forever_. "Leafeon! You were so great!" I cheered, holding out my arms and hugged him tightly to me. "Awesome job."

"Leafeon!" He cheered back then licked my face, making me giggle before I turned to the others as they all beamed.

"I think it's time to get back to the real world." Ash announced but then we looked up, seeing ribbons and badges floating down from the air to sit in three piles before us. Ash got his badges, Dawn got her ribbons and I got a mixture of both. "Man, look at all these badges!"

"And all these ribbons." Dawn agreed, picking one up to inspect it and I turned to see Brock with a worried expression, pointing to the numerous Jenny's and Joy's all standing beside him.

"Don't look now." Suddenly the Mismagius appeared, speaking softly as she floated between us, trying to gift all these thoughtful things to us.

"You want us to have this?" Dawn questioned so I smiled.

"Thanks Mismagius, that's so sweet of you." I said. "But unfortunately, we just can't accept all this."

"Ruby's right. I want to make my dreams come true my own way and _earn_ all my badges. That way I'll appreciate them a whole lot more." He explained to the Mismagius who blinked.

"Yeah. They were great and all at first but then I just felt empty." Dawn agreed as Brock chuckled.

"Once I realised the Joy's and Jenny's weren't real, it just wasn't the same. So take care Mismagius." He told he and she nodded her head in understanding, and I could tell she was pleased with our answers. Obviously we'd passed the test, so let's get back to reality!

"Mismagius." She said as I passed her, making me stop and look back. She floated over to me as the others all called out a goodbye and ran for the gate, however I stayed behind a moment longer. "Mismagius, Mismagius!" She pulled out an object from within her robe and handed it to me, making me blink in surprise.

"You want me to take this?" I questioned and looked down into the palm of my hand to find a small whistle on a long silver chain as fine as a silk thread. Mismagius reached out and touched my head, linking her thoughts with mine and she invited me to use this area for any Pokémon that need protection. That she can keep intruders out and Pokémon safe inside the boundary of this forest. "Really? You would do that? For me?" I questioned and she nodded her head.

"Mismagius." She assured me, promising that she would help my dream come true.

"Thank you! I won't forget this Mismagius." I vowed but then looked at the whistle. "But what does this do?" She gestured for me to try it so I blew softly to hear a single sharp and shrill sound which instantly called numerous more Mismagius as well as Misdreavus towards me, making me blink before I smiled. "Oh I get it. You'll answer it if I ever come back." I said and they nodded their heads, all whispering in soft voices as I smiled. "Well, seeing as this place must be difficult to find, it's ideal for keeping Pokémon safe. Thanks guys, I'll be back someday. I promise!" I assured them all, putting the whistle around my neck and tucked it under my neckerchief. "Come on Leafeon, we'd better catch up with the others."

"Leaf!" Leafeon agreed then chased after me as we ran through the gate and woke up again on the other side to a brand new day.


	13. Chapter 13

Having finished grooming Ponyta I let him stretch his legs for a while and Leafeon took a rest in his Pokéball as we head on with our journey. Ponyta snorted and trotted circles around us, making me giggle as he pranced around in the tall daisies then grabbed one, bringing it back over to me. "Why thank you Ponyta, that's very sweet of you." I giggled, taking it from him then for once took off my hat and flicked out my hair, which was in a fishtail braid hanging over my shoulder then slipped the flower over my ear, tucking it in securely. "How do I look?" I asked and Ponyta nodded his head agreeably, snorting before cantering off again.

"Hey Ruby, I know Pikachu stays out of his Pokéball because he hates it inside, but how come you always have one of your Pokémon out with you too?" Dawn asked me as we continued to walk.

"Oh that's simple. I'm used to their company." I answered as I kept a careful eye on Ponyta and how far he was going, ready to call him back just in case. "When I travelled alone on the road, I always had at least one of my Pokémon to enjoy the walk with me and I guess I just got used to it that way." I informed her then cupped my fingers to my lips, giving a shrill whistle which Ponyta answered by cantering back over to me. "Good boy. Don't get too far ahead now, okay? You need to stay where I can see you." I fussed with an adoring smile.

"Your hair looks really nice today Ruby. Is there a special reason you put it up like that?" Brock questioned and I blushed, twiddling the long braid self-consciously.

"Oh no not really. I just thought it would make a nice change from the messy look I usually sport." I answered jokingly and Ash gave me a grin.

"You should take off your hat more often. I'd forgotten how pretty your eyes are." I blinked at him. "Not that I think you're pretty! I mean…you are pretty, but _I_ don't think you're pretty, I mean just your eyes! Uh…" We all laughed at Ash's hasty scramble to try and cover up the compliment he'd just paid me and he blushed deeply.

"Thanks Ash. You have pretty eyes too." I told him and he relaxed, giving me a smile before we all looked ahead but then stopped, coming face to face with a strange and new Pokémon. It was tiny and mainly yellow with a grey head shaped like a shield. "Whoa hold up. What Pokémon is that?" I asked as Ash pulled out his Pokédex.

"Shieldon, the shield Pokémon. The skin on its face is very hard and it has a habit of polishing it by rubbing it against trees." Well, I guess this cute little fella must be pretty strong. I wonder what kind of moves it can use. I pulled out some Pokémon food and approached, smiling gently.

"Hey there little guy, try some of this. It's tasty." I offered out my hand and the Shieldon wasted no time in munching down on the tasty treat, making me giggle as he licked the crumbs out of my hand then smiled.

"Shieldon!"

"You like that huh? Well then, have some more." I poured out some more food and the Shieldon got closer, chomping down on the crunchy snack then licked my wrist in thanks, rubbing his head against me as I giggled.

"Dawn, do you realise what a rare Pokémon that is?" Brock questioned as Dawn smiled at the little critter.

"Well it sure is cute. Just look at those eyes!" Without warning the sound of wood splitting made us all gasp and spin around to see a tree fall down to the ground with a crash. Ponyta started, rearing up and crying out in alarm so I quickly returned him as a familiar tank truck pulled into view and someone jumped out of it, wearing a familiar uniform as well.

"It's them!" Ash said, stepping forwards and I narrowed my eyes.

"It's Hunter J."

"And all her goons." Dawn added.

"You just know she wants to steal the Shieldon and then sell it." Brock said as we all stood in front of the Shieldon to protect it. Not on my watch. I'm not going to let Hunter J get her slimy hands on this Shieldon, even if I have to catch it to keep it safe.

"Well we're not going to let that happen. Pikachu! Thunderbolt, let's go!" Ash ordered and Pikachu sprang forwards, charging up his power but the grunt who had stepped out of the armoured truck sent out his own Pokémon.

"Golbat, Wing Attack let's go!" Amazingly the Pokémon dodged Pikachu and knocked him backwards, making us all cry out in alarm. Looking at Pikachu's winded condition, I growled then stepped forwards, ready to protect everybody with Charizard's Pokéball in hand.

"I've just about had it with you kids." The grunt said as he and his companion approached us.

"Come and get me you slime breathe rodent." I challenged, glaring firmly at them both but then another bolt of powerful lightning struck from the trees, knocking both goons flying backwards and I blinked, looking to where they landed completely knocked unconscious. "Well I knew my personality was electrifying, but isn't that just a little over the top?" I asked myself but then I heard a voice I knew all too well.

"Shieldon!" Wait, Gary? Spinning around I saw him run out of the bushes with his Electivire, an awesome looking Pokémon who must have just helped us out. Figures. It had to be Gary Oak who came to the rescue again. WHY?! "You're okay!" Gary laughed, kneeling down for Shieldon to leap into his arms and he hugged the little Pokémon with a smile on his face, one I couldn't help but capture on camera. Aw. Cute.

"Gary? What're you doing here?" Ash questioned as Gary stood up.

"No time to explain Ashy boy, let's go Electivire." Gary said, handing Shieldon over to the tall fuzzball before running off without another word.

"Hey, wait up!" Both Ash and I called. "Gary get back here!" We chased after him, running fast to catch up until finally, he slowed down to a walk and took things at an easier pace once we were far away from the place we'd last seen Hunter J's guys.

"You think we'll be safe now?" Dawn asked worriedly, looking over her shoulder so I gave her the thumbs up and winked.

"No need to worry, right Dawn? We'll be fine. Besides. Those idiots show their faces again then I'll get Charizard to blow them out of the sky. It's been a while since he's roasted anyone." I noted that last part to myself, walking by Ash as we followed Gary.

"So Gary, you're out here doing Pokémon research, huh?" He questioned and Gary nodded. I noticed how he'd now changed his clothes. He wore a simple loose black shirt with an upturned collar, dark cargo pants and a travel belt around his hips. He'd got rid of his old necklace too, now wearing a smaller one with a dark purple droplet, however I did notice how the Squirtle charm had been moved and still resided around his neck.

"That's right, a lot's happened since I last saw you." He informed as we kept on walking, but then I noticed the Shieldon struggling in Electivire's grip, wriggling and clawing his way towards me.

"Shieldon Shield!" He grunted, finally pulling free then jumped into my arms, making me giggle as I caught him.

"Well hi there. Are you still hungry?" I questioned and Shieldon nodded his head.

"Shieldon!"

"Well then, hang on. I'm sure I've got a few treats stashed away somewhere." I assured him, putting Shieldon up on my shoulder as the others all talked. I dug around in my bag then found some Pokémon friendly brownies which I gave one to Shieldon and the other to Electivire for such a great Thunderbolt rescue.

I giggled as Electivire tickled me with one of his black wires as I carried Shieldon in my arms, keeping him out of trouble until I noticed we'd all stopped walking. Ahead of us were three more Shieldon and they ran forwards when they spotted us and the Shieldon I was carrying jumped out of my arms to greet his buddies again.

"Hey look, there's a whole bunch of them." Ash said as the four rubbed heads together, making me smile.

"It's the only place in the entire region where the Shieldon live." Gary informed us as we all observed with smiles on our faces.

"You've been doing your research for sure." Brock noted and Gary nodded his head proudly.

"Of course. This is an awesome place. Mt Coronet is unspoiled and pure." He told us all as he took off his backpack and pulled out a laptop, booting it up on the ground. "So the Shieldon feel super comfortable. I'm part of a project that's working to make this entire area into a nature preserve to protect the Shieldon." Suddenly the face of a stern looking man white hair and moustache appeared, obviously in transit as I could see rocks moving outside the window.

"Yes Gary, what is it?" He questioned but both Ash and Dawn leaned forwards with smiles.

"It's Professor Rowan!" I blinked. Professor Rowan? Guess he must be the district professor who helps beginner trainers on their journey. Ash and Dawn have mentioned him once or twice, I think.

"Professor, we've had a slight problem. We've encountered Pokémon hunters in the area and they're after the Shieldon." Gary informed the professor, cutting straight to the chase and bypassing any unnecessary conversation to save time.

"What? Pokémon hunters there?" He questioned in shocked and slightly alarmed disbelief.

"And it's not safe at all. I'm taking these Shieldon and leaving." Gary informed so the professor nodded his head.

"Alright then. We're already on our way and shall get to you shortly. I suggest we meet at this location." The point came up on the map and Gary nodded his head. "In the meantime be careful."

"Right." He said then put the laptop away, closing the lid and shouldering his backpack.

"You'll let us help you out, won't you Gary?" Ash asked and Gary looked at him for a moment before smirking.

"Sure Ash." But then he turned to me. My heart gave a strong thud and I almost backed away, unable to look Gary in the eye. "You haven't said a word to me since we met up Rubes. What's the matter?"

"Nothing." I answered quickly, folding my arms and glaring. "I'm just keeping an eye on the Shieldon. That's all." Giving a carefree shrug I noticed Gary's mouth turn upwards slightly, smirking further so I stuck out my tongue at him.

Just then the roar of an engine fired up and we turned with wide eyes to see the truck heading straight for us and the Shieldon instantly cried out, scampering to hide behind my legs and I instantly took on a strong stance, narrowing my eyes with determination. They are _not_ going to get these Pokémon.

"Look out, they're coming back!" Dawn yelled but both Gary and Ash stepped up together.

"Electivire, take the Shieldon and get out of here!" Gary ordered and his Pokémon scooped them all up into his arms to carry them off, however my eyes connected with the one on the far left, who twisted to call out after me.

"Shieldon!"

"It's okay, you'll be safe with him." I assured the little Shieldon before stepping forward as Gary called out a familiar face.

"Quick Blastoise, Water Gun!" Taking out my hat as Blastoise appeared I crammed it onto my head, growing serious as I watched the water type blast the truck with water but it still kept on coming. "They'll want Pikachu too! So we've gotta watch our step." Gary warned so Ash turned to face forwards.

"Okay Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" He called and Pikachu instantly leaped up into the air.

"Pika…CHUUUU!" He zapped the truck and it went haywire, crackling with electricity and all its circuits were fried by Pikachu's powerful bolts. Pikachu fell back to the ground so I jumped forwards and caught him, spinning around with a laugh as he squealed.

"Way to go Pikachu!" I cheered but then the front hatch opened up and a rather grumpy, ill tempered grunt stepped out.

"Those annoying brats. Enough of you! Golbat, go!" His Golbat appeared and with a powerful Air Cutter, knocked Blastoise back, making my eyes widen.

"Blastoise!" I made to step forwards but another Air Cutter attack shot out in front of me, cutting me off from the group with Pikachu, making me turn and glare at the grunt as he focused on me.

"You're that aura kid, ain't ya? I expect a pay rise when I bring you in to the boss." He said, cracking his knuckles and I growled under my breath.

"Either that or you'll lose your job when I _floor_ you." I replied smartly. "Go Pikachu, Iron Tail, now!"

"Pi!" Pikachu leaped up into the air with a glowing tail and slammed it into Golbat, knocking him aside as I jumped to the side, standing in front of a bunch of bushes and trees. Whistling sharply as the guys all called out, I got Golbat's attention.

"Over here! Come get me you overgrown Zubat!" I yelled and just as I suspected, Golbat wasn't too impressed with my insult. It launched a double Air Cutter attack at me and I dove out the way at the last second, rolling back towards the group.

"Ruby, you okay?" Ash asked, Pikachu back on his shoulder.

"Never better genius. How about we hightail it out of here?" I suggested as a swarm of Beedrill rose out the bushes, buzzing in anger and flocked to the Golbat and its trainer, making me smirk with laughter. "A prank that never gets old. Let's go!" I grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him forwards, dragging him away from where we were and we all started to run, though one of the Shieldon began to kick up a fuss. "Huh?" I looked back and one of the Shieldon broke free from Electivire's grasp then jumped onto Dawn's head, making her blink before he then leaped onto Brock, Ash, Gary then finally, me. "Shieldon?"

"Shieldon! Shieldon Shield!" He cheered then hitched a ride on my shoulder, settling there comfortably and I laughed.

"Well you only had to ask." I giggled, tickling his chin and he made an adorable face at me which I returned. We ran for as long as we could, but before we knew it we were ducking behind a bunch of bushes for cover as some more of J's men started to patrol the area, obviously searching for us and the Shieldon. "Oh great. Just perfect." I bit my lip, hugging the friendly Shieldon to me. "You sure I can't just plough my way through?" I asked Gary who shook his head.

"No, we need to protect the Shieldon. We can't afford any risky attacks." I knew he'd spoil all the fun.

"They're everywhere!" Dawn said as she pulled back from peering over the bushes we were hiding behind.

"It looks like all possible escape routes are blocked off." Brock noted as Ash clenched a fist.

"Yeah? Well I'll block all of _them_ off…"

"Stop!" Guess Ash and I have been spending too much time together. We think the same we act the same, no wonder we're both nutcases. "Calm down and let's make a plan." Gary said, pulling Ash back down but Ash shoved him off.

"I'm doing things _my_ way. Let _me_ deal with it." As the two of them fought over it, I reached out with my senses, closing my eyes to try and find out exactly what kind of number of uglies we were dealing with. Lots. Way too many to fight our way through. Guess Gary isn't such a drag after all.

"Ash, there's too many of them." I said as he glared at Gary, however he blinked and looked at me. "Fighting one on one isn't going to help us for the moment. They've got us surrounded. We need an even playing field, then the odds might be a little more in our favour." I said quietly, looking down to the Shieldon in my arms who nodded his head.

"Shieldon."

"If we keep this up, those creeps will spot us for sure." Gary said, looking at his computer to check our surroundings. "And with the Shieldon around we can't make a move. We'll have to change our route and go around them. There's a river to the north and a deep valley further to the south. It's going to be tough, especially with the Shieldon." I looked to his screen then pointed.

"How about there?" I suggested to the deep gorge. "We could circle around then head straight for the meeting point with Professor Rowan. With any luck, none of Hunter J's goons will be looking there for the moment. If we're fast we can slip through." I heard Dawn gulp.

"Did you say…gorge?" She asked. Yah. I said gorge. What I should have said was complete abyss that plunged into certain death. Who's crazy idea was this again? Oh yeah that's right. Mine. Remind me never to come up with a plan again. This is insane!

Though we tied ourselves to one another and to the Shieldon, it still wasn't very comforting seeing as the path was barely big enough for one foot. Brock walked in front with Dawn behind him and then me, leading my new pal and his buddies before Ash and Gary brought up the rear. "Just don't look down, don't look down, don't look down." I repeated to myself over and over, focusing on moving forwards.

"You'll be fine Ruby. Just keep going." Ash called ahead and I shot him a glare.

"Do I look fine to you, genius?" I demanded to know before taking a deep breath. I can totally do this. Pretend it's just walk in the park, and you've just jumped up onto the fountain to balance precariously. Yeah, think of it just like that.

Then without warning, I felt a firm tug on my waist and the Shieldon all cried out in fear as they tumbled over the side one by one, bringing me with them. "AAARGH!" I yelled, clawing at thin air as Dawn tried to grab my hand.

"Ruby!"

"Dawn! Help me!" I cried out, kicking my legs as the Shieldon all struggled and I blinked before bringing myself back together. "Shieldon calm down! You're okay! Just look at me, look at me and don't think about anything else." I urged and my new pal opened his eyes, looking up at me so I smiled. "That's it, you're alright." I assured him slowly, reaching out and pulled up the Shieldon so that he rested on my back. "Okay, Dawn, Brock! Pull me up!"

They pulled on the ropes and I climbed up the rock face, lifting the Shieldon with me and once we were all safely back on the path, we all exhaled the breath we had been holding. "If anyone, mentions this again…I'll kill them in their sleep." I said darkly, glaring down into the darkness below before we moved on.

The moment we got onto solid ground, I fell to my knees and kissed it. "Land! Thick, solid, secure land!" I praised. "I thought I'd never see you again." The Shieldon all crowded around me, calling out and I smiled at them all. "I know, I was the chicken and you were all so brave!" I praised them as I took off the rope from around our waists. "Here, you all deserve a reward." I said and gave them all a treat as Gary updated Professor Rowan.

I noticed how my particular friend was labouring for breath, worn out from all the excitement and walking so I gave him some vitamins to help boost his energy. "Just a little bit longer." Brock said as Gary put his gear away.

"Hang in there everyone." Dawn said brightly but when I touched the Shieldon's head, I found it to be hot with fever.

"No!" I gasped but then a shadow flew over us all and I looked up to see a Salamance appear out of the sun, landing on the ground with a snarl and it bowed its head to reveal none other than Hunter J.

"There's no escape!" She told us and I jumped up to stand in front of my friends.

"You wanna bet? You're not getting any one of these Shieldon Hunter J, not with me still standing here." I informed her proudly, clenching my fists as my sparking anger began to kindle against her.

"So you're the big boss." Gary said.

"How did you find us?" Dawn demanded to know as Hunter J got down off of her Salamance.

"By following the movements of your friends. You're all so predictable. Now hand over those Shieldon!" She ordered but Ash wasn't going to let her get off that easy.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" He called out and Pikachu instantly charged forwards, leaping up into the air then connected his tail with J's arm capturer. Too bad it didn't shatter, merely flung her back and her feet skid across the ground. "Go guys!" Ash ordered and everyone left except me.

"Okay, Ponyta, it's show time!" I sent out my Pokémon and he reared up, flashing his hooves then stomped on the ground, snorting fiercely as he faced J.

"Drapion, Cross Poison!" J ordered and her giant scorpion Pokémon appeared, instantly slashing the air in a cross motion and I whistled, calling Ponyta and he instantly leaped out the way however Pikachu didn't move fast enough, taking the full hit.

"Pikachu!" I growled.

"You'll pay for that. Okay Ponyta, Flamethrower!" I ordered and Ponyta instantly blasted Drapion with his intense flames, however only some of the attack was caught on Drapion as he leaped out of the way. Drapion hit back with another Cross Poison and Ponyta jumped over the attack with a powerful spring, making me smirk. "Now, Solar Beam!"

"What? You taught a fire type _Solar Beam_?" Ash stared at me as I smirked again.

"What can I say? You've got to have tricks up your sleeve for every possibility." I said as Ponyta stored up his energy then blasted it at Drapion.

"Salamance, Hyper Beam." Salamance cancelled out the attack, though the force of the explosion flung us all backwards. I grunted as I hit the ground, my hat flying off my head but I quickly tried to get back to my feet, though my head wasn't too sure about which way was up and which was down seeing as everything was spinning so fast.

"You escaped me once, little girl. You won't escape me again." I heard her voice and I looked around to see Hunter J standing not too far away from me. "The price on your head is very high." Then she smirked. "But I'm sure I can get double." She lifted her arm at me and instantly I knew what was coming. Before I could move the blast launched forwards, however a quick shape leaped into its way.

Ponyta reared up and started a Flamethrower attack but when the light hit, he was completely frozen over and my heart went still in my chest. "NO!" I yelled, finally jerking myself to my senses and leaped to my feet. "Ponyta, Ponyta can you hear me?"

"Well, I suppose I can sell that one too." J shrugged them aimed for me again.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Suddenly J was blasted with a jet of water and I turned to see Gary standing there with Ash.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Both attacks combined and struck at Drapion and Salamance, sending them skidding backwards as Hunter J regained her footing.

"Ignorant pests. I'll show you. Drapion, Pin Missile, Salamance Hyper Beam!" She ordered just as I noticed a little shape tumble off the cliff where Dawn and Brock were sneaking away. My little buddy! Shieldon! And Hunter J had spotted him too. Oh no she doesn't!

I lunged forwards and jumped over a rock, running towards Shieldon as J turned her arm to aim. "Shieldon, look out!" I yelled and scooped him up, trying to make a run for it but then I heard Dawn's voice screech above me.

"Ruby look out!"

"Rubes!" Between all the confusion, Gary's was the last voice I heard until finally I felt a flash of cold shoot all over my body and a bright flash of light shine before my eyes until everything went pitch black.

I guess J must have captured me again, because the next time I was aware of anything, I was standing in a dome with only half of my body unfrozen, Shieldon blinking at me. "Take it from her." J's voice ordered and someone walked forwards and tried to grab Shieldon from me.

"No! You can't have him! Stop it!" I cried out, yelling as the guy reached out and continued to try and take Shieldon away until I clamped my teeth down on his fingers and bit down with all my strength, making him howl in pain.

"YOW!"

"Enough. You are my prisoner now and you will obey, or your Ponyta shall be the one to suffer." J warned me, gesturing to my Ponyta who looked rather magnificent, frozen in place whilst rearing up, face terrifyingly determined as he sacrificed himself to try and protect me.

"You're disgusting. How could you do this to Pokémon? And to _people_? I'm a human being you know!" I yelled at her but she merely scoffed.

"Spare me the lecture. I have no qualms smashing your Ponyta into tiny pebbles, so I suggest you do as I say and hand over the Shieldon." Hunter J glared at me from behind her glasses and I paused. What should I do? There's no way I could reach my other Pokémon, seeing as they're all frozen over with me but I can't just give Shieldon to her, it wouldn't be right!

"Shieldon. Shieldon Shield." Shieldon said to me, giving a nod of his head then jumped out of my arms, allowing himself to be captured by Hunter J's capture beam. I turned my face away, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"You won't get away with this." I vowed but she only smirked as the dial was turned up, turning me back into a statue.

"As if you can stop me." After that it was just the cold blackness again. It was like falling asleep, but still being able to feel cold, but you have no memory of anything as you can't hear or feel anything else and you have no conception of time until you woke up.

This being said, the next time I was woken up, it was Gary who was setting me free. "Rubes! Are you okay?" Okay? No I'm bloody well not okay. My legs feel like jelly and I don't think I can stand upright. Nope, I can't. I fell forwards as the dome disappeared and Gary's arms quickly caught me, holding me against him as he pulled me off the round disk and then lifted me up by placing an arm under my knees. "Rubes? Rubes? Please answer me. Ruby!"

"Ugh…stop shouting." I mumbled sleepily, trying to blink myself awake. "Some people are trying to…to sleep." Gary gave a relieved laugh as he carried me somewhere then lay me down. Instantly I had a heavy weight on my chest, making me groan.

"Shieldon! Shieldon!"

"Hey buddy, glad you're okay." I said slowly, opening my eyes a crack with Gary's arm supporting my head as I reached out and hugged Shieldon but then a panicked thought struck me, making my blood run as cold as ice. "Where's Ponyta?" In answer there was a whinny and I sighed with relief as a soft velvety muzzle was pushed into my face, soft whiskers tickling my face and I giggled. "Well. That was fun. Let's not do this again."

"You had us worried Rubes. You had _me_ worried, and that's saying something." Gary informed me as I opened my eyes and finally looked at him. Ponyta pulled back his head slightly, allowing me some room and Shieldon jumped off my chest to sit down beside me as Gary continued to hold me on the ground whilst the others all talked with Professor Rowan and Officer Jenny. "You really are something." He told me and I arched an eyebrow.

"Is that the best you could come up with? I'm something?" I teased then began to sit up on my own, touching my head tenderly. "But thanks for saving me and Ponyta. I guess." Great. Another score for Gary. I'm never going to make it even, am I?

"You're welcome. Guess you still need me to stick around to keep an eye on you don't you?" He answered, standing up then offered me a hand which I took gratefully, letting him help me to my feet. "Always getting into trouble."

"Hey, I don't look for trouble. Trouble always finds me. Which is why _you_ won't ever leave me alone." I answered back, placing my hands on my hips. "Besides, I could have totally rescued myself."

"Oh yeah? Trapped like a statue? I'd love to have seen that." I glared at him.

"Bonehead."

"Mould brain."

"Jackass."

"Dweeb."

"Nutcase!"

"Trouble magnet!"

"Argh! I HATE you Gary Oak!" I yelled, clutching my hair tightly but then blinked. "What? Where's Fraiser's hat? Where'd it go?!" I spun around a full circle, trying to see if I could spot it but then Gary laughed.

"Calm down stupid, it's right here." Gary informed me, pulling it out of his backpack and I lunged for it but then he pulled back, lifting it out of reach. "But first, you've got to pay for it."

"It's my hat! It goes on _my_ head! So give it back before I take it and shove it up your…" He pressed a hand over my mouth and tittered my tongue.

"Now, now Rubes, careful what you say or I might keep it forever." He warned so I glared at him but pressed my mouth shut. "If you want your hat back, then you've got to give me something in return." If it's money he wants then he'll be disappointed. I'm broke.

"What do you want Gary? I don't have any money if that's what you want." I growled at him and he smirked that cocky smirk which informed me that he was up to something. He leaned closer and lowered his voice, glancing to the others to make sure they were all distracted before whispering in my ear.

"I want a kiss." My heart stopped in my chest then leaped up to my throat, almost making me choke. He wanted _me_ to kiss _him_? No way!

"You never change Gary stupid Oak." I said to him, folding my arms. "I am not kissing you. Ever!" I vowed though I could feel my stomach twisting nervously and a slight shiver ran up my spine. Gary arched an eyebrow.

"You sure? Alright then. I get to keep the hat." He said then stepped back, putting it on his head. "I'll let you think about it. Next time we meet, you can give me your final answer. You're the only girl in the entire year of Pallet High I haven't kissed properly. I knew I'd corner you one day." My heart dropped from my stomach all the way to the floor. So that's all he wants? A kiss so that he can boast how he's conquered all the girls at Pallet high in our year? That's the _only_ reason he's ever been nice to me? That's just…sick!

"Argh, I HATE YOU GARK OAK!" I yelled at him suddenly, flushing red with a temper then turned to storm away, whistling sharply and Ponyta followed as I grabbed Ash and Brock by their backpacks and dragged them along with me. "We are going. Say goodbye right now!" I ordered and they blinked, scrambling in bewilderment as Professor Rowan blinked in surprise.

"But Ruby, you haven't even met Professor Rowan yet!" Ash said but I was too angry to hear. I let them both go and they dropped to the ground as I jumped down onto a lower path, heading towards the sunset for our next destination, however as the others called out to me and tried to get me to slow down and talk, I found that I was struggling to hold back tears.

Gary Oak, how could I have been fooled by his stupid charm and all those special gifts? Were they all just part of his plan to get me to soften to him? Argh! That pig brained, sour souled…SNORLAX! I HATE HIM!

"Ruby hold up a sec! Look at this!" Ash finally called, stopping me in my tracks and I whirled around, ready to yell at him but then I saw something racing down the road having slid down the bank.

"Shieldon! Shieldon!" My little pal called as he raced after me and I blinked, taking a deep breath as I wiped my cheeks to make sure they were dry.

"Shieldon? What are you doing?" I questioned as I knelt down and my friend stopped before me, however he stood up and placed his feet on my legs, smiling up at me.

"Shield Shieldon Shield." He babbled then nuzzled against me, making me blink and stare down at him.

"I think Shieldon doesn't want you to go, Ruby." Brock said with a smile. "Maybe it wants to go with you?" Really? Come with me? I reached out and stroked Shieldon's back, making him turn another smile up at me.

"You really want to be my Pokémon?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Shieldon!" I heard a chorus of other Shieldon and looked up to see the three others calling out, waving goodbye and I gave a smile before looking down to the Shieldon in front of me.

"Well, in that case. Welcome to the team." I beamed, happily accepting Shieldon as I pulled out a Pokéball and touched his head to it, capturing him with a single click. Suddenly I didn't care about Gary Oak. All that mattered was I now had a new friend. "Alright! I just caught, a Shieldon!" I cheered, spinning around in a pirouette as Ponyta cheered, rearing up then bucked happily, making me giggle before I climbed up and helped Dawn saddle up behind me. "So come on, race you to the Pokémon Centre!" I yelled over my shoulder at the boys as Ponyta shot off, but not before Pikachu smartly hitched a ride on my shoulder.

"Hey! No fair! Ruby, WAIT!" Ash yelled but Dawn and I both laughed, cantering away on Ponyta's powerful stride. Dawn didn't ask me about my little breakdown, knowing that I liked my privacy but I knew that she was there to talk to whenever I was ready. Only thing was, I prefer talking to my Pokémon, so that night, I sat up with Pikachu and poured everything I was feeling out to him, and he listened with an occasional nod of his head, taking in every word with a small sound every once in a while until finally, I sighed.

"Wow. I feel a whole lot better for getting that off my chest." I said, wriggling under my blankets then smiled as Pikachu handed me a tissue for my eyes, which I dabbed to dry them. "Thanks for listening Pikachu."

"Pikachu Pi, Pika Pika!" He smiled, assuring me it was nothing. I'd admitted to how I had kind of grown soft on Gary and how I felt like he'd betrayed our friendship, but I'd also talked about how worried I was about this aura thing and Hunter J wanting to capture me.

Somehow saying things worried you out loud makes it far more real than when you kept the truth locked up inside of you, but it's also kind of a relief. I didn't feel so stressed anymore. In fact, for the first time in a while, I dropped right off into sleep with Pikachu to cuddle, and he kept me company for the whole night like a good friend would.


	14. Chapter 14

Shieldon got along great with all the others. He loved helping people with whatever they needed and was particularly good at breaking up fights with that strong head of his, getting between the arguing pairs whoever they were and helped keep them back until everything was sorted.

He was very soft on Happiny, giving her rides all day long if she wanted. There wasn't a single thing he could refuse her, whether it was berries, attention or tickles. He loved spending time with our little baby Pokémon.

We'd been travelling a few days when all of a sudden, Dawn left a shop practically bubbling over with excitement, yelling for us to get moving and we all had to race after her as she set off at a break neck pace. "Slow down Dawn, what's the rush?" Ash yelled after her, gasping for breath.

"I've got to get to the Pokémon Centre, there's a new application for my Pokésketch and I just gotta have it!" She answered but Ash frowned in confusion.

"Application?"

"You can get new applications that improve your Pokésketch. I guess Dawn's so psyched up because there's a new one available she can get." Brock explained. We got to the Pokémon Centre only to find we had run all the way for nothing. The application was being handed out to trainers at the Pokémon Centre on the _other_ side of the woods and the cut of time was five this afternoon.

So of course, we were running again. Good thing I was in shape and had eaten a second helping at breakfast today. Also good that Leafeon was so quick on his feet or he'd have been left behind ages ago. "You okay there Leafeon?" I asked between breaths as he ran at my side.

"Leaf!" He assured me brightly so I smiled and kept on running, however when three people cut us off, we had to stop.

"You four look like you're in a huge hurry." The guy said to us notably but Dawn didn't seem up for chitchat.

"Yeah, so we've really no time to talk." She answered and made to step around them but the woman held out her hand.

"If you'd be the one to stop talking then we would be able to tell you that you can take a shortcut through here to get to the Pokémon Centre on the other side of the forest." She revealed and Dawn instantly perked up.

"Really? This must be my lucky day!"

"Uh huh, but be careful. There's a lot of tunnels and an extensive maze on the other side, however with this trusty map, you'll find your way through without fail." The guy announced, holding out a map to Dawn who took it with a smile. "And seeing as you're our one thousandth and first customer, you can have it for free!"

"For free? This really is my lucky day!" Dawn squealed and went to step into the cave as we all looked on, catching our breath.

"Now hold on, being our one thousandth and first customer, you get a free photo souvenir inside the cave with all your Pokémon! Just step on inside." The lady offered but Dawn didn't want to hang around for some photo that I could take and have taken any other day.

"I'm sorry, but we really ought to get going."

"But it won't take a moment! Please, we insist." She said and before we knew it, we were all herded inside and ushered to bring out our Pokémon, so to save arguing, we did as we were told. I brought out Ponyta and Shieldon to join Leafeon but left Charizard in his Pokéball. The roof was quite low in here. I didn't want him to hit his head or even cause a rockslide.

"Now boys and girls at the end. Just like that, there we go and Pikachu? How about you join your Pokémon buddies. Keep still everybody, Pokémon get a little closer together, that's right…now say cheese!" Our photographer said but just as he was about to take the photo, the ground began to tremble.

"What's that?" Dawn yelped, staring at the ground.

"I don't know, but it can't be good!" I answered then looked up to see a stampede of Golum rolling straight for us without any sign of stopping. "RUN!" I yelled and everyone split off, diving for cover and instantly I ducked down, keeping low as the Golum all thundered past and didn't look up until everything was quiet. I coughed, shaking my head then stood up. "Uh…guys?" My voice echoed, returning back to me with no answer. Oh great, just perfect.

Completely alone in a strange cave without a map. Could this get any worse? Suddenly there was a roar and a rock snake came barrelling towards me. An Onix! "Obviously it _can_ get worse!" I yelped then ran for it, yelling like a lunatic as I raced to try and get away from the Onix.

"Shield!"

"Happiny!"

"Bun! Bun! Buneary!" Huh? I looked down and saw the three Pokémon running at my side, looking up at me and instantly I beamed with relief.

"Alright! At least I got you three. Come on Buneary, hop aboard, let's get out of here!" I called and Buneary instantly jumped onto my shoulder, hanging on as I veered off and led Shieldon with me, diving into a narrow gap then crawled through out the way until finally, the Onix had passed. "Phew. Now that was close."

"Hap! Happiny!" Little Happiny beamed, riding on Shieldon's back and I giggled.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the others are just fine. We'll find them again." Reassuring them all I turned to see that the tunnel I had pulled us all in actually opened out and there was a light at the end. "Well, it looks like an exit. Shall we go see?" I asked and Buneary nodded her head.

"Buneary." I glanced back and Shieldon also nodded so I crawled my way forwards, keeping my head low to make sure I didn't knock it then finally, I crawled out into the light. We stood on a platform of thick luscious grass and a soft breeze to cool my face and I took a deep breath. "Bun Buneary!"

"I agree. Much better than that cave." I said, sitting down for a moment. "Are you guys all okay?" I asked as Happiny began to wail so I picked her up and cradled her. "Oh it's okay. We'll find Brock soon I promise." I assured her, rooting through my bag until I found my photo album. "Here, why don't you keep a hold of this?" I suggested, taking the picture of Brock standing with all his Pokémon then handed it to Happiny who instantly stopped crying, looking at her favourite human being then smiled.

"Happiny! Hap! Hap! Happiny!" She trilled happily, folding up the photo then tucked it into her pouch for safe keeping.

"Great! Here, you can ride on Shieldon for a while and…Buneary? What are you doing?" I asked her with a giggle as she pulled my hair free then began to brush it with the brush she'd found in my bag until my hair fell in long wavy locks down my back.

"Buneary!" The little rabbit Pokémon squealed then went around picking flowers and expertly weaved them into a crown, letting Happiny help as the baby Pokémon copied Buneary's example and only picked the prettiest flowers. Daisies, violets and forget-me-nots before placing the beautiful crown on my head. "Buneary Bun-Bun!" She cheered, hopping around then pulled at my camera, wanting to take a photo as I blushed and giggled.

"It's beautiful, thanks guys." I said as Buneary set it up on a rock carefully, pressed the button then quickly bounced back over. I giggled as I caught her then held the three Pokémon in my arms, smiling at the lens with my hair loose and floating on the light wind before we saw the flash and we all hurried to take a look.

I was the first to let their mouth go slack. I couldn't believe how pretty I looked. That crown sure did the trick. Maybe I should try looking like a girl more often. I think it suits me. "Great job guys, now let's go find everyone else!" I cheered brightly, keeping an optimistic spirit as I put Happiny back on Shieldon's back then put my stuff away to lead them down the steps which led into the maze.

"Okay, let's go left." I decided and together, we ventured out together. The levels changed often, meaning that we climbed up and down numerous steps and the Pokémon all quickly became tired and irritated, so I stooped down and lifted them all up to carry them.

I was worried about the others. I hope they're all okay. We yelled as we walked, trying to get everyone's attention but as we climbed up the tallest mount of steps we'd yet ascended, I stopped and put everyone down, gasping for air. "Just…hold up…a minute." I gasped, dropping my bag to search for a drink for us all.

"Happiny!" I looked up to see Happiny pointing so I turned to look and spotted Staravia in the air.

"Staravia! Over here!" I called and instantly she banked towards us. "Hey!"

"Staravia! Star! Staravia!" She chirped and I sighed with relief.

"Have you found the others?" I asked and she nodded her head, chirping once again. "Great! Where are they? Can you lead us to them?" I questioned and Staravia nodded, gesturing with one wing towards where the others were. "Awesome, come on guys, let's go find the others!"

So we set off with cheer, following Staravia however when we stood at the other side of the platform facing a slim and rather precarious looking bridge, our spirits were taken down a couple of notches. "No need to worry!" I chirped simply, cracking my knuckles. "This looks easy to cross. Come on, Shieldon, you go first then you Buneary." I directed, deciding to get the smaller ones across first.

They crossed in single file, Happiny riding on Shieldon's back and they reached the other side safely, so I took a deep breath then began to make my own way across. I held out my arms to balance, watching my feet cautiously but then I heard the sound of crumbling.

"Shieldon!" Shieldon called out in warning as the bridge began to crumble under my weight. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"No! Stay there!" I ordered but then as I took another step, the ground gave way beneath me and I felt myself being flung into open air. "AGH!" I cried out, arms flailing as I tried to grab hold of something but my awkward movements only pulled me further down until I was falling without style.

"Shieldon!"

"Hap! Happiny!"

"Buneary!" Everyone cried out as I tried to twist around, eyes tightly clenched shut in fear as I tried to reach for Charizard's Pokéball but I fell too quickly and the ground was coming up fast. Get ready for impact, this one is going to hurt.

With a quick gulp of air I curled up into a ball, tucking my fists into my chest to try and make myself a smaller target but before I could hit the ground, I felt myself land in something considerably softer. "Huh?" Blinking I turned and found myself looking at none other than Paul. He'd actually saved me?

"You seem to have a habit of falling off things." He told me bluntly as he put me down forcefully, pushing me away from him. "You're just lucky I was walking by."

"Yeah. Whatever." I glared at him then whistled up to the others. "It's okay! Just keep following after Staravia, I'll find you guys soon I promise!" I informed them as they all called down to me. "Stay _together_ , don't lose one another then everything will be fine!" Shieldon nodded his head then began to lead Buneary and Happiny away, following after where Staravia had disappeared to and I took a deep breath. "Whoever built this maze must have had a dumb sense of humour." I muttered to myself then looked around.

I could go either forwards or backwards, backwards seemed to have a turning that went further into the maze which is where the other must be, so I turned and began to walk that way. "You know, I did just save your life. You could at least thank me." Paul's voice said and I stopped in my tracks. Dang it, why did he have to be right?

"I could. But why should I? You're not exactly a bundle of manners yourself." I answered him, shooting him a dark look. His eyes scanned my face and his expression dropped from his scowl ever so slightly, seemingly surprised to see me wearing a flower crown with my hair down. "Buneary made it for me." I said with a blush, ducking my head slightly. "See you around Paul."

"Wait." He said and I stopped, signalling I was listening. I heard him take a deep sigh, as if I were being a nuisance and wasting his time. "I saw the others back that way." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "They had your Leafeon and Ponyta with them." I sighed with relief. At least they were both okay and with somebody. I turned around and walked back over to where he was standing, placing my hands on my hips.

"Thank you." I told him dutifully before stepping around him and walking on ahead.

"Why do you travel with that loser?" He suddenly questioned and I shot him a glare over my shoulder. "You'd become stronger travelling alone than wasting your time with him."

"That _loser_ as you say, happens to be my best friend in the whole wide world." I informed Paul snappily. "We come from the same town and we have a lot in common. When I travel with Ash, it's always an adventure and much better than travelling alone. Its how you make friends, by travelling with people." Paul arched an eyebrow, scrutinising me so I stuck out my tongue at him.

"Then travel with me instead." I froze in place, blinking at him in shock. He wanted me to travel with him? But I hate the guy! I can't stand him and I doubt he'd be able to stand me either. "If you trained with me, your Pokémon would become a whole lot stronger." I want my Pokémon to get stronger but not the way Paul trains them. Thinking about poor little Chimchar, I couldn't put my Shieldon through that sort of training, he was way too young, though my other Pokémon are tough enough to take it.

"Look Paul, I'm grateful you caught me and saved me from breaking my leg or cracking my skull, but I can't travel with you." I told him bluntly. "I hate the way you train your Pokémon, I hate the way you don't seem to care about anything. I hate how you're rude to my friends and how you look down your nose at everyone else." Folding my arms across my chest I gave a little shrug. "Besides. I'd drive you crazy within the first hour, so technically I'm doing you a favour." Turning around I flicked up a hand and gave a lazy wave. "Take care Paul. Be careful in here."

I could feel his eyes burning holes into my back as I walked off so I got out of there as quickly as I could. Travel with _him_? Is he crazy? I'd probably end up murdering him in his sleep. Stupid jerk, saving me from a nasty fall then asking me to travel with him. Why are boys all so darn complicated? One minute they hate your guts, the next thing you know they're being nice to you, then they turn back into being jackasses! Unfair.

"Dawn! Brock! Ruby! Anybody? ANSWER ME!" I suddenly heard Ash yell and my head jerked up.

"Ash! I'm here!" I yelled and started running towards his voice.

"Ruby! I can hear you, where are you?"

"Right here!" I raced around a corner and we slammed into one another, a tangle of limbs and I was flattened by the skinny dweeb alongside Sudowoodo, Buizel, Piplup, Pachirisu and Leafeon, who began to lick my face as the other Pokémon all tackled me with a hug, glad to see me. "Hey guys…I love you all too but could you please get off?" I questioned, grunting as I struggled to breathe with so many people on top of me.

"Sorry Ruby! Didn't see you there." Ash said with a guilty laugh as he helped me back up then pulled me into a tight hug. "Man. Am I glad to see you! This maze is crazy, I can't figure it out!"

"That's because it's meant to get people lost, genius." I answered with a smile after breaking apart from the hug to fuss over all the Pokémon. Leafeon rubbed his head against me as I tickled Piplup and fist bumped Buizel, giggling at Sudowoodo as he danced in celebration. "Now come on, let's go find the others." I said, picking up Pachirisu and placed her on my shoulder as she snuggled against me.

"Alright!" Ash cheered and we all head off, calling out for the others. We'd been walking for ages when finally, we heard Dawn's voice calling from behind a wall.

"Ash? Ruby? Where are you guys?!"

"Tell us where you are!" Brock yelled and we all stopped to look at the wall the shouts were coming from.

"Over there!" I pointed and we all raced forwards. "Brock! Dawn! We're right here, can you hear us?"

"Hey guys! We're behind this wall!" Ash yelled, skidding to a halt. "With Buizel, Piplup, Pachirisu, Leafeon and Sudowoodo!" I took a step back and looked at the height of the wall, wondering if we could climb it but it was way too high. Looks like Charizard will have to bust our way through. I'd just grabbed his Pokéball when I heard Staravia calling out. "Huh? Staravia!" Ash shouted, turning to Team Rocket who held Staravia captive in a cage underneath their balloon. "Hey, give me back my Staravia!"

"Not today!" Jessie trilled before two fists shot out from the side of the balloon, pumped and ready to go. This…can't be good. Sure enough, they began to punch at the cliff at our side and rocks tumbled down to cut us off from escaping, the dust cloud rising up as Ash grabbed me to pull me back to a safer distance.

"No! Now how do we get through?" Ash asked as he let me go and I cracked my knuckles, glaring up at Team Rocket as their laughter filtered down from above.

"We punch our way through. Charizard! I need you, now!" I called and flung out Charizard's Pokéball, releasing him into the battle zone before pointing up at the balloon as he roared. "Let's go Charizard, Dragon Tail!"

"I need your help guys, Piplup use Bubblebeam, Buizel use Sonic Boom!" Ash directed and the two water types leaped up to attack the balloon as Charizard whirled around with his tail and smashed the cage, releasing Staravia who flew out of there quickly. "Yeah!" Ash cheered and I leaped up into the air, giving a whoop as Charizard circled around.

"Now Charizard, use Fire Blast!" I yelled out and Charizard instantly blasted Team Rocket with everything he had, sending their balloon out with a bang which exploded loudly in the sky and Team Rocket flew into the air.

"No! We're…BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" They all screamed and I giggled, placing my hands on my hips as Charizard landed on the ground and I ran to him with Leafeon.

"Way to go buddy!" I squealed. "You're totally awesome!" Charizard growled in agreement then nuzzled me gently, affectionately licking my face so that I giggled once more.

"What's going on over there? Ugh! They're only a few inches away and we can't do a thing!" Dawn yelled in frustration and I heard her thump the wall with her fist.

"Wait Dawn, the walls in this maze are surprisingly thin. If we combine some moves, I'm sure we could just break our way through." Brock reasoned and I lifted my head.

"That's it! You hear that guys?" Dawn questioned and both Ash and I nodded our heads, speaking together.

"Yeah! We'll give it a shot from this side." Shooting one another a smile with both clenched opposite fists then pointed at the wall, mirroring one another. "Okay Pokémon, let's get to work!"

"Leafeon, Iron Tail! Charizard, Dragon Tail!" I called with a smile. "And Piplup you use Bubblebeam!"

"Buizel Water Gun and Sudowoodo, you use Mimic!" Ash cheered then looked at Pachirisu. "Pachirisu, maybe you should sit this one out." He suggested and the little fluffball smiled up at him.

"Chi pa!" She agreed then jumped up onto my shoulder as the Pokémon all pounded the wall. Charizard roared, giving it his all, pounding the stone alongside Leafeon as the others hammered with their attacks.

"Keep it up, we're almost there!" I encouraged. "You can do it guys!"

"Yeah that's the way to do it, we'll be through any second now!" Ash added and we both watched as the wall began to crack. "Alright!" Ash celebrated as finally, we broke through and the wall practically exploded as some of the attacks combined, causing a huge spray of dust to shoot out and Ash instantly grabbed me, tucking me into his chest to guard my face and I held on for security until finally, the dust settled and I looked around to see the rest of my Pokémon standing with Brock and Dawn.

"We did it!" I cheered then ran through, opening my arms and laughed happily as Shieldon jumped into my arms and Ponyta rubbed his head against me and I hugged him too. "I'm so glad you're all okay, you had me worried!" I said as Leafeon and Charizard came to stand with me. Now all reunited, I returned everyone to their Pokéballs except Charizard who I climbed up to sit on his back. "Now Dawn, now that we're all back together, how about we _fly_ to the Pokémon Centre instead of just running?" I suggested and she beamed.

"Sounds like a great idea! Let's go!" I laughed then helped her up as the boys all hitched a ride, Pikachu happy to be back with Ash again though he rode up front with me where he liked the view best, cheering loudly as we flew over the clouds. "Pokésketch application, here I come!" I laughed at Dawn's excitement before Charizard stepped on the gas and we dove down from the sky, making everyone yell with the rushing thrill of speed.


	15. Chapter 15

"I can't believe it, we're finally here! Let's go get a gym badge!" Ash yelled at the top of his voice and started to run straight for the Pokémon Gym, no doubt already having his sights set on his third badge. Well, if you can't beat him, join him. Which means, start running.

"Ash slow down already!" Dawn called after him, carrying Piplup in her arms as I giggled, looking to Leafeon and Shieldon who ran at my feet.

"Just getting a little morning exercise, right guys?" I questioned and they all cheered happily back at me.

"There it is! That's the Hearthome Gym and that's where I'm going to win my third badge!" Ash pointed ahead and all his Pokémon called out excitedly, psyched for their next battle. When we got closer we saw a figure standing at the door, wearing a long cape and hat and holding a Mew harp made of gold. "Huh? Nando?"

"Greetings my dear young friends." He said in a soft voice. So this is Nando? Cool! "Regretfully the gym leader is not here." He sang whilst strumming his harp and I slowed down to a walk as Ash continued to run full pace.

"Huh?! You're kidding!" He and all his Pokémon went smack into the door, flattening his face and I laughed aloud.

"Great going genius." I said as I literally peeled him off the door then stood him up on his feet. Turning around I held out my hand and smiled up at Nando. "Hi there, I'm Ruby. It's nice to finally meet you Nando, I've heard all about you from the guys."

"The pleasure is all mine." He answered, shaking my hand gently. "I too have heard of you from your friends. They say you are a musician, as am I." I blushed slightly.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I just play a little Pokéflute from time to time." I informed him simply. "Are you here to enter the Hearthome contest?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Yes, but first I was hoping to team up with my beloved Kriketune for a gym battle, but regrettably it seems that I shall not." I looked to the red bug type Pokémon and instantly smiled.

"It's cute, I love it!"

"Kriketune, the cricket Pokémon and the evolved form of Krikitot. It coveys its many emotions with the melodies it composes." The Pokémon then began to gently rub his arms together, creating a soft lullaby which instantly had me smiling.

"That's beautiful." I said and it smiled at me.

"Thank you, we are grateful for your compliments." Nando said to me politely. "Sadly the gym leader is away on a long journey, so we shall not battle today." He sang softly and I stood up to read the note quickly.

"He's right. It says that the gym leader's gone on a long journey and we shouldn't look for them." I turned around, scratching the back of my head. "So what do we do?" But Ash wasn't open for suggestions as of yet.

"That's just great! After all this I feel like I'm going to explode!" He yelled at the top of his voice, which contrasted greatly to Nando's softer tone.

"Perhaps entering the Hearthome Tag Battle contest may be of some help." He suggested and instantly he had all of our undivided attention.

"What's the Hearthome tag battle?" Ash questioned curiously and Nando smiled at us all.

"Only the most famous competition in Hearthome city. It's where trainers from all over the world gather to compete in a challenging tag battle that will decide who reigns supreme."

"That sounds fun!" Both Ash and I said at the same time, clenching our fists. "So let's do it!" Nando chuckled softly.

"You two make a wonderful couple. You even act and speak at the same time." He sang as he strummed his harp but instantly we both balked, shaking our heads and waving our hands as we quickly made to correct him.

"No, no, no! We're not dating, Ash is like my brother!"

"No, no, no! We're not dating, Ruby is like my sister!" We blinked then looked at one another before I pressed my hand against Ash's face and shoved him away.

"We've been travelling together for way too long, genius." I informed him simply before looking up. "But this tag battle, I think we should enter! It'll be great training practice for our Pokémon, and it sounds like an awesome time. How about it Brock? You want to enter too?"

"I'm in. I could use a good battle." He said with a nod of his head so I punched the air.

"Then let's go!"

"You can register at the Pokémon stadium." Nando informed us in his gentle voice.

"Nando, are you going to enter?" Ash asked but he shook his head.

"No, we have decided to concentrate on the Pokémon contest." He informed us but then Dawn squeaked.

"Oh no! I forgot to register again!" We all chuckled before deciding to split up. Dawn went with Nando to register for the contest whilst Brock, Ash and I all went to the stadium to register for the tag battle contest. I couldn't wait, this should be amazing!

"What do you say you two? Are you ready for some battling?" I questioned and Shieldon leaped up in answer as Leafeon nodded his head.

"Shieldon! Shieldon!"

"Leafeon." I giggled, picking up Shieldon and placed him on my shoulder to keep him from knocking into anyone in his excitement.

"Well, I think you and I need to do a bit more training then." I said with a smile. "After all, the only moves you know are Tackle, Take Down and Protect."

"Shieldon? Shield!" Shieldon smiled at me and I giggled, tickling his chin as I followed the guys. We signed ourselves up and I listed my Pokémon before following the boys back to the Pokémon Centre.

"Man, I can't wait! I wonder what the prize will be for the winner, which will be me by the way!" Ash said proudly and I rolled my eyes.

"Not so fast genius, you're going to have to beat me first! Unless we get put together, then of course we'll win!" Brock chuckled, watching as we started to argue over who was going to win before he separated us.

"Okay we're all excited, but let's not forget that it's Dawn's contest first." He reminded us and we both instantly stopped fighting. "So we've got to support her."

"You're right. Dawn's contest comes first!" I cheered then opened the door to where we found Dawn talking to her Pokémon.

"Now there's no need to worry! We'll do great in that contest, I just know it!" She was saying and we all smiled to her as we walked forwards.

"That's what I like to hear. Confident and psyched!" Ash said as we approached.

"You've really come a long way Dawn, but aren't you just a little bit nervous?" Brock questioned and instantly her face fell.

"Try a lot bit nervous. My heart feels like its racing at a hundred miles per second. After all, this is my first double performance." She said with worry so I slung my arm around her shoulders and grinned.

"Hey, no need to worry, right?" I reminded her just as Zoe appeared and walked towards us.

"It's all happening tomorrow." She said and Ash smiled at her.

"Hi! Long time no see." He greeted and I gave a wave which Zoe returned before turning to Ash.

"I heard about the Hearthome gym. I'm really sorry Ash." She said. Obviously Dawn must have told her about the gym leader being out of town.

"It was a drag at first, but Brock, Ruby and I entered into the Hearthome tag battle contest for some battle practice. It'll be a blast!" He said, not so upset about missing out on his gym battle as before now that we have this competition to look forward to.

"Oh yeah? That'll be fun." Zoe smiled at us all.

"Thanks, I'm sure you'll do great tomorrow too." I arched my eyebrow then whacked him on the back of his head, flooring him.

"If Zoe wins then that means Dawn won't get her ribbon, genius." I reminded him and he leaped up and yelled in frustration.

"Let's just say I'll be rooting for the both of you okay?!" Pikachu lifted a fist and cheered too, making me smile at him. Little cutie.

"Oh I almost forgot. Thanks for all you're great advice on double performances, I know I'll look great!" Instantly my eyes snapped over to Dawn and Zoe seemed to catch the same concern I had.

"You know you'll look great?" She repeated, arching an eyebrow as Dawn beamed.

"I can't wait, you've taught me so much about contests Zoe!"

"I think you need to get your priorities straight. The Pokémon is the star, not the coordinator." Zoe reminded Dawn, making her blink in surprise. "Make sure you focus on your Pokémon, and you all have a great time tomorrow." Zoe said to Dawn's Pokémon who all cheered at her happily.

The next day was the contest and all nervousness seemed to have fled from Dawn when she stepped on stage. Nando had given an amazing concert performance which had instantly inspired me for when I get back into contests myself, however now, all eyes were on Dawn.

She pulled off her fist move of Bubblebeam and Sweet Kiss with perfect timing before using her water electric combo move of Whirlpool and Discharge, giving an electrifying display which burst everything into dazzling sparkles, completely filling the stage and her Pokémon really stood out. The audience loved it and the judges were impressed with how two moves that shouldn't have been compatible were so effortlessly combined.

"Yeah! Go Dawn! Go Piplup! Awesome job Pachirisu!" I cheered, standing up in my seat and waving to Dawn with Shieldon joining me, jumping up and down excitedly as the boys chuckled. We watched the other performances but when Zoe came on, I couldn't help but simply stare unblinkingly all the way through her performance.

Her Pokémon were totally in sync and they shone beautifully, showing off their moves and I instantly began to worry. Dawn had only used two combinations, whilst Zoe was giving it everything she had and was displaying her Pokémon's strength and beauty at the same time. I think Dawn might be in trouble.

We went down to the coordinator's suit to find her brushing Buneary's fur carefully, getting ready for their next battle. "You were awesome out there Dawn, you totally pulled it off!" Ash complimented but I said nothing, looking down at Shieldon then to Dawn as she smiled, completely at ease.

"All we have to do now is battle our best and that ribbon is as good as ours! Right guys?" She question and all her Pokémon nodded and chirped in answer, ready and psyched for their upcoming victory. When the results were announced by Vivien, we all stopped to take a look at the screen. The first of us to go through was Nando, who was followed up by Zoe and it came all the way down to the last spot, which was paused slightly and I heard Dawn take in a breath, clenching her fists tightly.

A picture appeared, but it wasn't Dawn's. It was that awful coordinator Jessalina who instantly squeled. "I made it! I'm through, I'm through! Don't feel bad kid, you were good but I was just better!" She cheered so I flicked her hand off of Dawn as she mockingly patted her back and stood beside her.

"Dawn?" I questioned her softly as she lowered her head.

"It's fine. I'm fine." She said before looking to Pachirisu and Piplup. "I'm sorry I let you down. You all worked so hard." Dawn said and they inched closer trying to comfort her.

"Gee Dawn, I'm real sorry." Ash said but Dawn lifted her chin proudly, eyes closed and lips pressed tightly together.

"I'm fine." She said snappily and I sighed slightly. This is going to be a little tougher than I thought. Dawn's pretty upset she didn't make it past the first round.

"You were so close, but don't worry. You'll make it next time." Ash said but then Dawn shot him a look.

"Just leave me alone." Piplup reached out and tried to soften her a little but she just snapped at him too. "I said I'm fine!" Blinking she sat back and sniffed. "I'm sorry." She said with tears in her eyes before leaping to her feet and racing out of there as fast as she could.

"Dawn wait!" Ash called but I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks as Zoe spoke.

"Hold on Ash, she needs a moment to herself." She said wisely and I nodded my head.

"Losing in the first round is the worst. Dawn needs to get her head around first before we can try making her feel better." I explained then looked to all her Pokémon with a smile. "No need to worry guys, Dawn will be fine. Every coordinator has to lose at some point, it's important for their growth. Right Zoe?"

"Of course. If you win all the time then after a while it just becomes boring. You have to lose at some point to make all the winning worthwhile." She agreed and the Pokémon cheered up a little. Especially when I began to hand out poffins as a reward for all their hard work.

The boys went up to watch the other battles but I stayed behind to look after the Pokémon. When Dawn returned, I didn't say a word. After she'd changed out of her dress and sat down at the mirror, I got up, picked up her brush and just combed through her hair whilst humming softly, letting her maul over what had happened as I fixed her hair. "Why did I lose Ruby?" She asked me and I smiled.

"Sometimes it just happens. Luck is a huge part of contests, and I guess today just wasn't your day." I answered her simply as I fixed in her clips the way she always wore her hair. "But you can't let this drag you down. This kind of work is hard, but when you do win, it's totally worth every effort you put in with your Pokémon. Look on the bright side, you got the Discharge Whirlpool to work, you can use that in another contest." Dawn lifted her head, a slight smile on her face.

"You're right. I'm sorry I was so put out." She said and I shrugged.

"Hey, you should have seen me after my first loss. I totally wrecked the room I was staying in I was so mad. I had to pay for all the damage." Dawn giggled so I smiled then handed her a box of cookies I'd baked just for this day, whether or not Dawn had won.

So feeling a little better, we watched the final battle between Nando and Zoe, which was impressive to say the least. I took mental notes on their styles and preferred attack strategies for whenever I came up against them in future, because after all, I'm not going to sit back and let life pass me by. I can't wait to get back on stage and back in the leagues. Just as soon as I've found my old rhythm again.


	16. Chapter 16

Next up was our tag battle competition. We'd entered Dawn at the last minute at Zoe's suggestion so we could help lift her battle spirit, and after Piplup's enthusiastic persuasion, Dawn joined us in the stadium.

It was full to the brim and I smiled, looking around me at the crowd and felt a familiar bubble of excitement being to fizz inside me at the thought of competing. This is going to be so awesome! "It's just like the Pokémon league." Brock said as we all stood together.

"I can't wait to get this going!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with Ash as Dawn held Piplup in her arms.

"This is so exciting, isn't it?" She said as I nodded my head.

"It certainly is. I just want to get started right now!" The mayor of Hearthome was conducting and announcing for us and he instructed everyone to have their registration numbers ready, so I smiled and looked down at mine. Number fourteen. Come on already! If I have to wait a moment longer, I'm going to explode!

"Alright folks, here we go!" With that the mayor punched a big red button and the numbers all flashed up on screen. Yes! There I am, number fourteen and I'm matched up with number twenty seven. Okay so where are they?

"Hello? Number twenty seven? I'm over here!" I called, walking around with my card lifted up but I couldn't spot the number anywhere. "I hope they actually showed up, otherwise I'll have to play tag on my own. And that's no fun!"

"Uh…ex…excuse me? Number fourteen?" I spun around.

"Hi! I'm Ruby Bates, nice to meet you!" I gushed excitedly, turning to find a small kid with a nervous expression, lots of freckles and carrot coloured hair that stuck out at all angles. He gulped and shakily gave a smile.

"Hi. I'm Peter. Nice to meet you too." He said shyly and I beamed at him, placing one hand on my hips and leaned into it.

"Well, aren't you a little sweetie. You ready to battle with me?" I asked and Peter instantly gulped, looking up in alarm with iron grey eyes.

"Oh! Well uh…you see…I'm not very good at battling. My mom entered me in this. She says I need to toughen up and she thought this would be the best way." He told me at top speed, his words getting slightly jumbled as he continued to babble about how he'd been training for a year but still hadn't won any badges and his mom was getting annoyed with him. My heart flew out to the poor little guy, so I reached out a hand and took his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. We're going to be just fine, you'll see." I promised him. "We're a team, so that means we work together, I won't leave you behind, and you'll help watch my Pokémon's back. Right?" Finally I got a smile as Peter nodded his head.

"Right!" But then I heard Ash cry out.

"Pikachu no!"

"Huh?" I turned around to see Pikachu being flung back from an Elekid's static attack, causing Pikachu paralysis and instantly I was running over, pulling Peter with me.

"Pikachu! Pikachu are you okay little guy?" I asked, picking him up from Ash's arms to hold him carefully as I unslung my bag and found some Paralyse Heal. "Here you go, this'll help you out." I said then sprayed it on him.

"Wow, that's cool!" Peter said, touching his mouth with a finger in thought. "How'd you know to do that?" I smiled as Pikachu shook himself off and lifted his arms triumphantly.

"Pikachu!"

"Paralyse Heal eradicates the static from a Pokémon, letting them move again and static is a special ability of an Elekid." I then glared at the Elekid but blinked when I saw its trainer. "Paul?"

"Not very attentive, are you? Pathetic." He spat and I growled, still holding Pikachu.

"You come over here and say that to my face!" I yelled, surging forwards but Ash smartly held me back. "Let me at him, let me at him!"

"Calm down Ruby, don't give him what he wants." I grumbled under my breath, letting my arms drop to my sides as Pikachu jumped up onto my shoulder.

"Pikachu Pi, Pika Pika." He said then sniffed my hair. "Chuuuu!" I blinked up at his squeal then giggled as he began to sniff at my hair continually and even tried to nibble on it.

"Stop that Pikachu! It's only the shampoo I use, quit it!" Well, I have changed the shampoo I use, but I didn't realise Pokémon could be so attracted by the smell. Guess I shouldn't use so much of a honey scented wash.

"Come on Pikachu, I know Ruby's hair is pretty and it smells great, but you can't eat it!" Ash said, grabbing Pikachu and pulled him off as I laughed.

"But thanks for the compliment Pikachu." I winked at him and he beamed at me.

"Pikachu!" I looked up when I heard the sound of a Soothe Bell and I smiled as the mayor announced that they were going to be the prize to the winners of this competition. Now I want to win all the more! I love Soothe Bells.

"Hey, that's just like the one you gave to Ivysaur, Ruby." Ash said and I nodded my head.

"Uh huh. He never takes it off. Professor Oak had to fix a new ribbon to it when the old one snapped and poor Ivysaur was upset all the while it was off from his neck. He really loves it." I answered, looking up to the main stand until I heard Peter gasp.

"You have an Ivysaur?!" He questioned and I nodded my head.

"Sure do. He's not here though, I left him back in Kanto for some rest. He's not young and contests like this would tire him out." I explained and Peter blushed.

"You must have some really great Pokémon." He said and I shrugged.

"I guess, they're all awesome in their own way. Come on, I baked some cupcakes this morning, so how about we go find somewhere quiet and we can talk about tactics." I suggested and Peter nodded his head eagerly, suddenly excited to get going.

"Yeah! Sounds great." He said so we head out of the stadium and to the park as the competition didn't start until later in the afternoon. We found a park bench where I brought out my cupcakes and Peter instantly began to munch on them all. "Wow, these are amazing! You hid different flavours in them!" He said as he bit into one. "This one is lemon…" Then he took a bite out of another. "And this one's strawberry!"

"I love to bake stuff. Anyway, let's talk about Pokémon. Would you like to meet the gang?" I asked and he nodded his head, swallowing his mouthful and brushed off the crumbs around his mouth. "Okay then. Everybody, come on out!" I called and all four of my Pokémon appeared. Charizard, Leafeon, Ponyta and finally Shieldon, who instantly tackled me with a hug. "Hey there! I'm glad to see you too!" I giggled. "So Peter, may I meet your Pokémon?"

"Oh um…sure. Here goes." He tossed up three Pokéballs into the air. "Say hello everyone." I was met by a cheerful Grotle, a shy Shinx and a grumpy looking Snover. "Snover and I are still working on our teamwork skills. He likes to do his own thing." Peter said with a blush.

"No problem, I know we'll all be great! Right guys?" I asked my gang and they all cheered. "Right, so let's start thinking." And from then on, it was all about pairing up Pokémon, discussing tactics and we even demonstrated some of our moves.

When the time came to battle, I could tell Peter was nervous. I stood perfectly at ease, having just watched Dawn win with nearly no effort at all, however Peter beside me was shaking like a leaf. "Hey, you okay?" I questioned and Peter gulped.

"Just a little nervous. There are so many people here, watching me." He was sweating buckets and his knees were buckling so much I thought he was going to faint.

"Just take a deep breath and don't worry about all those people. They don't matter one bit." I said simply, smiling calmly. "All you need to focus on is your Pokémon and the battle, that way you'll forget about anyone watching you."

"Wow, you're so good at this. I must be the worst partner for you." Peter said, hanging his head so I ruffled his hair.

"Don't say that, I'm glad I got partnered with you! Now come on, let's have an awesome battle." I turned back to face our opponents, two guys who looked pretty tough but I wasn't afraid. I could take them on with my eyes closed. When the signal was given for us to call out our Pokémon, my hand instantly went to Ponyta's Pokéball. "Okay Ponyta, it's show time!"

Ponyta appeared and reared up, calling out competitively before stomping his hooves firmly on the ground, glaring across as a Crobat and Golem appeared. "Snover, I choose you!" Nodding my head at Peter's wise choice I looked at him.

"Okay, you focus your ice attacks on Crobat, they'll have super effect. You leave Golem to me."

"But your Ponyta will be at a disadvantage! It's a fire type, right? Even if it does glow blue." Peter answered so I just gave him a wink.

"A trainer has a trick up every sleeve. You ready?" He nodded his head shakily. "Great! Then let's go!" When the gong rang, I instantly zoned into the battle.

"Crobat, use Wing Attack!" One of our opponents ordered as the other smirked.

"Earthquake Golem, let's go!" So they think they can take Ponyta down with a move like that huh? Well I'll show them.

"Ponyta, let Snover get up onto your back then jump!" I directed and Snover instantly swung up to ride on Ponyta and he leaped into the air, springing high as the Earthquake began to rattle the ground, though being up in the air it had no effect whatsoever on the Pokémon. "Now Peter, use an ice type move on Crobat."

"Oh, right. Um, Snover! Use Icy Wind!" Snover jumped off of Ponyta and aimed it for Crobat who came flying in fast. Snover had barely gotten the move fired up when Crobat slammed into Snover with a strong Wing Attack then aimed straight for Ponyta.

"Flamethrower Ponyta, on the double!" I punched the air and Ponyta instantly blasted Crobat with powerful flames, flinging it back and he landed on the ground safely, bounding forwards to catch Snover as the crowd went wild.

Peter froze in place, whimpering in fear and I looked at him in surprise. Why was he so nervous? "Peter, you've got to calm down!" I said but in my distraction, I didn't see the Rollout until it had hit Ponyta and Snover full on. "No! Ponyta!"

"Snover!" Peter squeaked. Okay, this is bad. What do I do? "We're going to lose!"

"Snap out of it Peter!" I ordered sharply and he blinked up at me. "Your Pokémon respond to how you feel, so if you're always nervous about battling, then it's no wonder they either disobey or never win! You've got to have confidence in yourself _and_ your Pokémon!" I told him sharply before turning back to the battle. "Ponyta, get up and use Flamethrower again on Crobat!" Ponyta got to his feet then reared up, blasting away at Crobat who ducked in and out of the way as Golem came rolling back around to us. "Now cover Snover, use Stomp with your hind legs to send Golem flying!"

Ponyta jumped over to Snover who was still recovering and looking a little confused at the Golem who was rolling straight at him, but Ponyta stood over him and twisted around, hammering his hind legs straight against Golem and with incredible power, launched him up into the air to collide with Crobat. "Now's your chance." Peter shook himself off.

"Right! Icy Wind Snover, do it now!" Snover leaped and twisted, blasted freezing cold air at both Golem and Crobat and the effect was instantaneous, freezing over one of Crobat's wings which instantly slowed down its flight pattern. "Hey…I did it! Snover listened to me!"

"Because you were confident. Now Ponyta, use Stomp!"

"You use Razor Leaf on Golem Snover!" Peter laughed, punching the air with a jump and I smiled as he finally loosened up and started to enjoy the battle. Snover sent a wave of fast spinning leaves straight at Golem with high effect and Ponyta kicked back Crobat, sending it flying.

"Crobat, use Confuse Ray!" Its trainer ordered so I gave a whistle, calling Ponyta backwards and he quickly cantered, circling around then hid behind Golem just as Crobat used its attack, confusing its partner rather than Ponyta. "No! You idiot, your stupid Pokémon got in the way!"

"You're the one who missed! Now look at what you've done!" I giggled.

"Looks like they're not good team players. Let's finish this Peter, you ready?"

"Born ready!" He cheered. "Snover, Icy Wind!"

"Flamethrower!" I called, punching the air straight in front of my with a determined expression and Ponyta blasted Golem with Flamethrower straight in the face as Crobat was knocked out by Snover. Golem withstood the attack, groaning slightly but then shook itself off. Uh oh, looks like the confusion has worn off.

"Nice work, now Golem, use Rock Throw!" Golem stomped on the ground, tearing it up then began to throw the rocks straight at us without mercy.

"Stomp!" I quickly called and Ponyta instantly began to move, dancing and prancing out of the way and kicked at any rocks he could to minimise the damage, however Snover took a full hit and was taken down and ruled out of the battle when he couldn't get back up.

"Oh no! Now what do we do? You're totally at a disadvantage!" Peter worried, biting down on his nails but I wasn't ready to give up yet.

"You just leave this to me. Ponyta, get ready!" I called and Ponyta instantly moved to face Golem head on.

"Golem, use Earthquake one more time!" Its trainer ordered and instantly it stomped on the ground, causing the entire arena to tremor and Ponyta reared up, crying out determinedly then snorted.

"SOLAR BEAM!" I yelled over the noise and instantly Ponyta blasted Golem with the grass type attack, the bright and harsh sunlight allowing him to power up quickly and Golem was knocked out with a single hit, leaving Peter and I victorious. "Yeah! Woo-hoo! That's the way to do it!" I cheered with laughter then grabbed Peter's hands, dancing around with him until he started to laugh too.

Ponyta trotted over to me and I instantly flung my arms around his neck, holding him tightly as I buried my face into his warm fur. "You're amazing Ponyta, I love you so much." I told him and he nibbled at my hair in response as the crowd all cheered or us.

When we walked back over to the others, Ash was quick to tell Peter what an awesome battle we'd just had and Peter blushed modestly. "Oh I didn't do much. It was all Ruby really." And then of course, _someone_ had to go and spoil it all.

"Of course it was. Otherwise you would have lost. You're pathetic." I shot a glare at Paul who was leaning casually against the side of the stadium as the next battle got underway. Peter stared at Paul then tears rose to his eyes and I was quick to give him a hug, putting my arms around him.

"Shut up Paul. You're just a mean bully with a vocabulary that's limited to the words 'loser' and 'pathetic', which ironically are two words that can be addressed to you too!" I flung at him and Dawn's partner Conway smirked.

"I calculate a rise in tension around here. It seems that young Ruby has just scored a point against our friend here." I ignored the nerd for the time being, continuing to glare at Paul. He infuriates me. Can't he see that Peter did his best and his best was great? He didn't have to be so hurtful all the time! Finally Paul rolled his eyes then turned away.

"Whatever." Peter sniffed then rubbed his eyes dry, giving me a small smile.

"I'm okay. He's right. If it weren't for you, we would have lost." He then shook his head and stood up straight, clenching his fists. "So I'm determined to do better, I'm going to train real hard and make sure I'm a worthy partner to battle alongside you Ruby, I promise!" I chuckled.

"No need little carrot, I think you're great just the way you are." Ash's battle was last, seeing as he was in the 'H' block, but still, it was quite a battle. Paul was completely useless, hardly doing a thing until the last moment. What really impressed me, however was how Chimchar seemed to power up the moment he dived into the Lava Plume attack, though even with the boost his Flamethrower hardly did a thing against Rhydon.

Oh, and did I mention, Rhydon can use SURF! Actually Surf! It was awesome, and thanks to some inspiration from Zoe's double performance, Ash broke it apart with Iron Tail then knocked out Rhydon with one hit before taking on Magmar's Fire Punch with Volt Tackle. _That's_ when Paul decided to lend a hand, having Chimchar use Dig then took out Magmar in another single hit that sent the crowd crazy.

We parted ways with a wave but Ash and I both stayed up late to practice for the next round tomorrow. I could tell he wasn't all too impressed with Paul's performance, so I kept him happy by assuring him that his Pokémon could win any double battle single handed, and that there was no need to worry.

I had just witnessed an awesome spinning dodge from Ash's Pokémon against Staravia's swift Aerial Ace when we all noticed a large burst of fire spout up from a distance away. "Huh? What was that?"

"Let's go check it out." I said then turned around to all my Pokémon. "Return everybody. Great work tonight, take a rest." I said and they all called goodnight before we all ran towards where we'd spotted the fire come from. Maybe somebody's in trouble, if that's the case then we'd better help.

We ran towards the sound of a battle only to find Paul overlooking Chimchar's training. I say training, it was Chimchar against Elekid, Torterra, Murkrow and Ursaring, which is more like a bully circle if you ask me. "Hey Paul, what's going on?" Ash asked as Chimchar used Flame Wheel to deflect the attacks of his co-Pokémon.

"Flamethrower, let's go." Paul ordered, ignoring us all. Chimchar blasted out a Flamethrower but it quickly grew out of control, being too powerful for his small body to contain and it went straight for Ash.

"Ash look out!" I yelled, shoving him aside then yelled as I took the heat full on, sending me flying backwards until I hit the ground then skid across the floor.

"Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu yelled as I groaned slightly, my loose hair covering my face so I pushed it back, trying to sit up as Ash raced to my side.

"Ruby! Are you okay?" I gave a laugh as Chimchar cried out and hurried over to me with an apologetic smile.

"You kidding? That was great! You're one special Pokémon, you know that Chimchar?" I questioned, touching my chest where I'd been hit, glad that the flames hadn't been too hot otherwise I'd be in serious trouble.

"Chimchar!" He smiled up at me, glad to see I was alright but then Paul made him flinch with his iron voice.

"We're not finished yet." He said forcefully and Chimchar's bright smile instantly fell as he trudged back over to Paul.

"What are you doing Paul? Why is Chimchar the only one you ever put through intense special training?" Ash demanded as he helped me to stand, keeping one arm around my back to support me for a moment as he glared at Paul.

"It's none of your business." Paul answered rudely and Ash growled.

"Yes it is! We're a tag team." He reminded the stuck up snob but he only turned his head slightly with a sharp look.

"Your point?"

"I still don't understand why you entered this thing." Ash said to Paul who rolled his eyes in irritation.

"You wouldn't. It's a good chance to get my Pokémon used to some real combat." He answered and before either Ash or eye could retort snappily, Dawn appeared with an angry Piplup.

"What do you mean?! Don't you think you're being a little rude to the other trainers and Pokémon in the tag battle?" She demanded to know and I stood up straight, taking my place between them as we all faced Paul who still refused to look at us.

"I needed Chimchar to get struck by that Surf today. Get it?" He questioned and I blinked.

"But what if Chimchar had lost?" Ash asked and the answer seemed to come all too easily to Paul.

"Then it would be useless." That does it. I hate this creep!

"Paul, if you want to make Chimchar stronger then you've got to work on its strong points." Ash told Paul who still had his back turned to us. His royal rudeness.

"Oh please, spending a single moment improving a Pokémon's strong points is like babying a spoiled brat and a complete waste of my time, see?" He questioned and suddenly it clicked in place. I think I understand why Paul is this way. He's treating his Pokémon the same way he had been treated as a kid.

"Is that what your dad told you?" I asked in a simple voice and this time, I caught Paul's attention. He whirled around and glared at me haughtily, which only confirmed my suspicions. "Did he used to work on improving _your_ weak points to make you stronger, and that's how you now train your Pokémon?" I asked but Paul didn't answer, however if looks could kill…I would be six feet under.

"Do you treat all your Pokémon that way Paul?" Dawn interrogated sharply, glaring at Paul as he turned around again.

"No. This is exactly what Chimchar wants." Paul answered and we all blinked before looking at Chimchar.

"Is that true Chimchar?" Ash asked and our little friend looked at Paul before nodding his head at us.

"Chim." He said determinedly and I gave a sad look as I knelt down to his height.

"You know Chimchar, you don't have to put up with this." I said as I reached out and lifted his injured arm. "You can get stronger other ways that don't end with you getting so beat up all the time. Just look at yourself!" I gestured to him all over and Chimchar looked at his hands before turning to a puddle of water on the ground from the rain we'd had earlier in the evening. He looked over his beaten up body then looked away with a sniff.

"Don't listen to them. Let's go." Paul ordered, walking away and all his Pokémon followed him. Chimchar looked between us, unsure of what to do before giving in and following after Paul. Dawn and Ash remained in place as I stood up, watching Chimchar leave.

"You realise Paul will kill Chimchar this way." I said quietly and Ash nodded his head.

"Yeah. I know. It's like he's obsessed or something." Taking a deep breath I shook my head.

"Well I'm not going to let that happen. Come on Pikachu! We're going to rescue Chimchar." I said, running after Paul and Pikachu instantly leaped after me.

"Pika!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Ash yelled and both he and Dawn followed after me. It didn't take long to locate Paul, all I had to do was follow the sound of battle and sure enough, there he was letting Chimchar take every attack possible. When Chimchar failed to get back up, he turned to his Elekid.

"Wake it up with Thunder." I heard him say so I turned to Pikachu.

"Volt Tackle, go!" Pikachu instantly darted forwards, glowing yellow with a long train as he dashed ahead then cut off the Thunder attack, standing in the way in front of Chimchar as I ran forwards, Ash and Dawn a little way behind me. "Paul, you've got to stop this right now!" I yelled at him. "You'll kill Chimchar this way!" I stopped and picked up Chimchar, kneeling on the ground as I felt for a pulse. He's in a bad shape, it's not good. Not good at all. "Look at what you've done Paul, doesn't this make you feel ashamed at all?" I demanded, getting angry. "You're just lucky Chimchar needs help more than your butt needs kicking."

"Okay Ruby, calm down. Let's just get Chimchar to the Pokémon Centre." Ash said as he and Dawn caught up. "If that's okay with you, _Paul_." Ash sneered slightly, daring him to stop us but Paul merely looked away.

"Be my guest." I didn't need telling twice. We ran all the way to the Pokémon Centre, surprised to find Brock helping Nurse Joy out with all the Pokémon, however when he saw Chimchar in my arms, he instantly took him to special care.

I stayed by his side the hole time, helping to spray the Super Potion and feed him some supplements as Brock bandaged his arm. "Chimchar looks like it took on a hoard of Ursaring and then some. What happened?" Brock asked me. "And why didn't Paul bring Chimchar here?"

"He was too busy trying to beat up his own Pokémon. He had Chimchar battle five against one, that's what happened." I said, tears of anger in my eyes. I just wish there was something I could do to make things better for Chimchar. He looks so helpless, and he's not happy.

"I see." Brock said, stepping back. "Well, there's nothing else we can do for Chimchar now. With some rest, he'll be fine in the morning. Or at least, as fine as he can be." I nodded my head but drew up a chair.

"I'll stay here with him." I announced and Brock nodded his head. I sat beside Chimchar as he slept, though every now and then he'd began to have bad dreams that made him cry and thrash out, so I took out my flute and began to play.

The soothing melody instantly worked its magic, letting Chimchar rest peacefully and he even smiled, relaxing with the sound and I sighed with relief as I put the flute down. "You know Chimchar, you're really something special. I know I said it before, but I really mean it." I told him softly, stroking it soft little head. "You try so hard for Paul and never even complain. That takes some character. I'd have bitten his head off by now if I were you." Giving a tender smile I lay my head down beside Chimchar, touching his hand and I smiled further when his little fingers curled around mine, like a baby does when it's very young.

That night I stayed with Chimchar, who only woke up once but promptly went back to sleep again. Later, in the early hours of the morning, someone opened the door and came in though I was fast asleep and could barely register anything I was so tired.

Someone pulled me off my seat and carried me away through the Pokémon Centre and I curled up against them, resting my head against their shoulder. They took me up to a dorm room then put me on the bed before pulling the covers over me, making sure I was warm before turning and leaving, never saying a single word. Must have been Brock. Guess he wanted me to get some proper rest. I hope he checks on Chimchar.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning I woke up late, making me late for the next round. AGH! I hurriedly brushed through my hair, not having time to put it up then raced for the stadium where I found Peter waiting for me with the others. "I'm here! I made it! It's all good!" I called, gasping for breath and used Ash as a support as I hunched over, clutching a stitch in my side. "Man, that was close."

"Ruby! We were so worried, we couldn't find you anywhere." Dawn said as Ash touched my shoulder.

"Are you okay? You weren't with Chimchar when we came to get you."

"Yeah, but I thought Brock knew where I was." I said, standing up to look at him as Peter hugged my waist with relief. "You carried me upstairs to bed, didn't you?" He blinked at me.

"No I didn't. I thought you said you wanted to stay with Chimchar that night." He said and this time I blinked. What…then who…never mind. It's time for our battle now.

"Never mind. Come on Peter, let's see what you've got!" I cheered, grabbing his hand and he laughed as I pulled him onto the battlefield. The difference in him was astounding. He and his Grotle were a force to be reckoned with, and combined with Leafeon's speed, we were unbeatable. It was so awesome! We won our second round in minutes which put Peter on the highest of highs.

"We won! We won! Did you see that? We won Ruby!"

"We sure did little buddy, your Grotle is amazing, that Leaf Storm really gave us some firepower." I said as we walked back to the others who were all cheering and clapping. "That with Leafeon's Iron Tail gave us the edge. Those guys didn't even stand a chance." I said as we joined the others.

Last to battle was Paul and Ash, so we all watched curiously to see what would happen. Ash went with his Turtwig, but when Paul called out his Pokémon, I almost ripped out my hair. "Chimchar, standby."

"No!" I yelled, half way leaping over the side to go and pound Paul but Brock managed to hold me back. "You twisted maniac, what are you doing?! Chimchar is injured you jerk face!" I called out all the insults I could think of until Brock covered my mouth, trying to get me to calm down as the opponents brought out their own Pokémon. Metagross and Zangoose.

"A Zangoose!" I heard Ash cry out and I stopped.

"Why's Ash so panicked by a Zangoose?" I mumbled questioningly into Brock's hand so he let me go.

"Chimchar was attacked by a group of Zangoose on the nigh Paul captured him. He managed to unlock his Blaze ability and the power apparently wrecked everything around them. It's why Paul's so intent on training Chimchar, he wants to duplicate that power so that Chimchar will grow stronger." Brock explained and I blinked before looking out to Chimchar who looked extremely panicked.

"Poor Chimchar, he's got to be totally freaked right now." I said, stepping forwards again and stood beside Peter to watch the battle.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked me and I nodded my head.

"I will be." I told him before watching the battle. It was horrible. Paul really had no mercy for Chimchar, forcing him to battle the Zangoose and even after taking a second hit from the Metagross, he still ordered Chimchar to fight.

With the Zangoose bearing down on him, Ash smartly got Turtwig to use Bite, keeping the Zangoose back from Chimchar and its Crush Claw anchored down. As Metagross came in with a Bullet Punch, Paul did the unthinkable. "Chimchar, use Flame Wheel on Turtwig." He ordered and my mouth dropped open before I went into a frenzy.

"You jackass! I'll use your face as a mop after I'm done _pounding_ you! You are so lucky I didn't bring Jigglypuff with me to Sinnoh!" I shouted, struggling against Brock's restraint as Chimchar reluctantly did as he had been told and hit both Turtwig and Zangoose with his attack then continued on to his Metagross, knocking back its attack. Turtwig was in bad shape, Ash had to move fast. "Ash! You've got to heal Turtwig, use Synthesis!" I yelled at the top of my voice, making Ash look over his shoulder at me.

"Right, Turtwig use Synthesis!" It wouldn't heal Turtwig completely, but enough so that he can continue to battle.

"Flame Wheel." Paul ordered again as Zangoose came back with another Crush Claw but before Chimchar could even fire up, he was pressed into the ground by that rather large Zangoose, terrifying him to the core. I could feel the fear radiating from him in waves and it reflected on me, making me tremble and grip tightly onto Brock as I shook.

"It's okay Ruby, it's okay." He soothed as I whimpered with Chimchar's fear, feeling it almost as my own it was so strong. Poor Chimchar. Ash rescued Chimchar with a Razor Leaf attack, but as Turtwig ran out to stand in front of Chimchar, he collapsed to the ground, struggling to stay standing with all the damage from the fire attack he had taken.

"Zangoose, Fire Blast, go!" I stared with wide eyed horror as the Fire Blast attack went straight for Turtwig who was collapsed on the ground.

"No!" I yelled, gripping my hair tightly and Brock continued to hold me in a brotherly embrace, trying to keep me calm but then, I watched as Chimchar jumped over Turtwig and amazingly held _back_ the Fire Blast attack. Just another example how Pokémon will never stop surprising you.

Chimchar turned back and called for Paul, asking for his order but Paul stayed silent. "Come on Paul, give Chimchar an order!" Ash yelled at him but then Paul turned away, refusing to participate further in the battle. "Paul!" Ash called but got no response. Turtwig began to get back up, shaking on his feet slightly. "Okay then quick, Chimchar use Flamethrower!" Everyone gasped in surprise. "That's right, now!" He ordered and Chimchar turned before doing exactly what Ash said.

He swept aside the Fire Blast attack then hit Metagross with an incredible Flamethrower which knocked it completely out of the battle. Wow. Amazing! "Alright Turtwig it's your turn, so get moving!" Ash directed and Turtwig began to run forwards at Zangoose who used Crush Claw. "Dodge it!" Turtwig leaped up and spun, avoiding the attack then turned with a Razor Leaf attack, hitting directly from behind and I leaped up with a cheer.

"Go for it Turtwig!"

"Alright! Now finish off with Tackle, now!" Ash directed and Turtwig slammed against Zangoose with an intense force, sending it flying across the stadium before it hit the ref's box with a bang, making me flinch slightly at the hit before it was ruled unable to battle.

The moment the battle was over I leaped over the side and ran forwards, heading straight for Chimchar as Ash praised them both. "I can't tell you how great you two were."

"I can, you were _amazing_!" I said, skidding to a halt then lifted up Chimchar, smiling brightly as I spun around. "Look at you! You were so powerful!" I laughed then hugged him carefully. "But you need to take it easy from now on, you poor thing." I informed him and Chimchar nestled against me, hugging me tightly as I turned a glare on Paul. "And _you_. You need to find a heart. You could have killed Chimchar today, and you seriously hurt Turtwig! Don't you have any compassion? Or even a conscience?" I demanded of him but all he did in answer was lift a Pokéball.

"Chimchar, return." Chimchar was taken from my arms and I growled, however Ash smartly placed a hand against my shoulder to stop me from going after Paul and taking Chimchar back by force. Little snob. I seriously don't like him.

We left the stadium and took a walk as the sun began to set as the boys both knew that the light at this time of day always calmed me down, and that was exactly what I needed. "We all made it to the finals. Isn't that great?" Dawn said and I nodded my head.

"Sure is, but Dawn, just so you know, Peter and I don't intend on losing tomorrow. We're going to battle hard." I said and she smiled at me.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Huh?" We all looked around to see Paul standing there, just a few metres in front of us and he'd just let out Chimchar. Only thing was, a strange blue light had surrounded him as he left the Pokéball, which made me frown in confusion until I heard what he said next.

"You're out of here." Chimchar began to panic, blinking up at Paul and stuttered in shock, eyes wide before growing teary.

"Paul?! So that's the end of all that special training?" Ash demanded and Paul lifted his head proudly.

"Yeah that's right, what's the point?" Oh he is so going to be meeting my fist up close and personal very soon. The moment Brock let's go of me! "Obviously I need to get a new fire type." He said as he walked passed without even glancing back.

"You're giving up Chimchar?" Ash questioned as Paul walked away. Hey don't complain genius, Chimchar will be way better off without that punk hammering him down all the time.

"What happened to the two of you getting stronger together?" Dawn called after him.

"All of that progress and you're throwing it away?" But Paul didn't stop, speak or look back. He just kept on walking. Feeling like a failure, Chimchar lowered his head and began to walk away but I was quick to stop him.

"Hey wait up Chimchar, where're you going?" I called, pulling free from Brock then wore my best smile as he looked back at me. "I've got an idea, how about you come with us?" I suggested, making everyone blink in surprise and out the corner of my eye, I saw Paul stop and turn around with a glare. "Yeah! We'll have loads of fun together, won't we Ash?"

"Sure! We'll have a blast and work hard. What do you say Chimchar?" He asked, kneeling down and offering Chimchar his hand as I walked forwards too, smiling as we both looked down at Chimchar, who looked between us both again and again, trying to come to a decision. "You see, the way you give it your all is just great, I'd love working with a Pokémon like you." Ash said to him.

"We'll take care of you Chimchar, we'll be a real family." I told him softly, crouching down. "I bake great cookies, and Brock makes the greatest food in the world." Chimchar's eyes grew watery.

"You two deserve each other. You're both losers." Paul said and Dawn turned a glare on him.

"That's an awful thing to say!"

"Just ignore him." Ash said, for once not caring about Paul. "It'll be me and you Chimchar, what do you say?" The Pokémon all piped up, encouraging Chimchar to tag along with us and finally Chimchar smiled and reached out for Ash's hand.

Suddenly from nowhere came a combined attack of Bullet Seed and Pin Missile, exploding around us and instantly I heard Chimchar yell, causing me to gasp as Ash hid me in his protective embrace. "Chimchar! Where are you?!" I yelled but as the smoke cleared, I heard the laughter of Team Rocket then spotted their balloon just ahead of us.

"Is that Chimchar calling for Pikachu I hear?" Jessie questioned, starting off the motto as I regained my breath, heartbeat racing at a million miles a minute.

"Calling for us might bring you more cheer."

"On the wind."

"Past the stars."

"In your ear!" The troublesome trio began as I continued to look up at Chimchar who struggled in his hold, the rubber hand having a tight grip around him. Don't worry Chimchar, we'll get you out of there.

"Bringing chaos at a break neck pace."

"Dashing hope and putting fear in its place."

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

"When everything's worse our work is complete." James said whilst holding his trademark rose. They announced themselves proudly to us all, though by this point we knew them so well we could probably spot them from a mile away.

"Alright Team Rocket, what do you want with Chimchar?!" Ash demanded, getting angrier by the moment.

"There's none better at bringing some TLC to a hard-luck case like Chimchar…than us!" James explained, sticking his head out from the basket to call down to us all.

"We'll smooth out the rough edges with our hard edge tactics!" Jessie revealed before goofing off about a special offer. I was about to reach for a Pokéball when James pointed down at us, his Cacnea and Carnivine ready to roll.

"Cacnea, Carnivine, stick them!" He ordered and suddenly we had a second wave of attacks heading straight our way.

"Ruby, look out!" Ash yelled but with a hard expression, I thrust out my hands and lowered my head, feeling the weight press on my shoulders as I formed a protective sphere around us all, taking the combined attacks which exploded against my shield but kept everybody safe inside.

"Wow! How does she do that?" Dawn questioned, staring in wonder at the blue orb that shone around us.

"It's Ruby's aura, she's gotten stronger." Brock said in awe as I held off the attacks. It was difficult, seeing as I was still not too sure how long I could keep this up, but I forced myself to keep the shield wall up to protect everyone else, I couldn't let them get hurt.

Shaking where I stood I looked up and through the mass of explosive cloud, saw Chimchar fire himself up and with explosive power, blasted Team Rocket away and freed himself. "Chimchar!" Both Ash and I yelled so I cut out the shield, throwing my hands to the side and Ash raced forwards. "Don't worry, I'm coming!" Ash shouted as Chimchar fell through the sky then took a leap, grabbing Chimchar then hit the ground on his side, saving Chimchar from any more damage. "Wow, that sure was close." He said as I ran over.

"Chimchar! Are you okay?" I fussed, throwing my arms about Ash and Chimchar to hug them and he turned a bright smile at me.

"Chimchar Char!" He assured me and I sighed with relief.

"Well, that's all that matters. Now what do you say? Who would you like to be your trainer?" I asked and instantly Chimchar's face fell. He looked between Ash and I, worrying about his choice. Guess it was a little too tricky for him.

"What's wrong Chimchar? Don't you want to come with us?" Ash asked and I whacked the back of his head in answer.

"No genius, Chimchar just doesn't know who to pick. He likes us both, right Chimchar?" I questioned with a wink and Chimchar nodded his head. "Well then, I guess there's only one option." I said and Ash looked at me. "We'll share him!" That took him by surprise. "We can both raise Chimchar, wouldn't that be fun? You can train him to battle, and I'll just have fun with him."

"That's a great idea!" Ash said then turned to Chimchar. "What do you think?" Chimchar looked at us both then jumped up with a bright smile.

"Chimchar!"

"Awesome! You ready Ruby?"

"Ready." I nodded my head as he picked up a Pokéball and we held it together, turning to face Chimchar before speaking at the same time. "Pokéball go!" We tossed it up into the air together and Chimchar instantly leaped up, letting himself be captured and we both laughed as we caught the Pokéball again, which clicked in our hands.

"Alright, we just caught a Chimchar!" We chorused, celebrating together with a mirrored pose.

"Should I be worried how they can do that?" Dawn questioned and Brock laughed.

"No, they do it all the time. You should hear them when they argue and they're completely in sync. It's scary and no one ever wins." He joked as I took custody of Chimchar to get him fixed up at the Pokémon Centre.

I felt lighter and a lot happier. Chimchar was going to be okay now, he's part of us. There's no pressure, no stress and no need to worry. Everything's going to work out! After that, things just continued to get better.

I paired up with Peter and his Grotle again with Shieldon and we actually beat Dawn and Conway. Peter had grown so much stronger that Slowking didn't even stand a chance against its Leaf Storm, and Shieldon had awesome power in his Take Down, though I felt bad for using it on Buneary.

Chimchar hung out on my shoulder during the battle and watched from there as Paul and Ash battled, though because of Torterra's Hyper Beam and Leaf Storm, he took out Croagunk and Farfetch'd in just a single hit each. It was impressive, which only made me hate him more.

So it was Peter and I in the final match up against Ash and Paul. Good thing I saved my secret weapon for last, with Ash's determination, I was going to need him. "Charizard, show time!" I called, spinning around then kicked up a leg for style as I flung out his Pokéball. He stood tall and proud, roaring to announce his arrival then flapped his wings, gaining lift before landing heavily on the ground. "Okay Peter, your go."

"Thanks Ruby! Okay Shinx, it's show time!" I giggled as Peter copied my battle call, guess I've really inspired him. He looked so psyched that even if we lost this battle, I wouldn't care one bit. His Shinx, however, was a different story. It quaked in its paws as it stood beside Charizard so I knelt down.

"Hey Shinx, don't be afraid of him. He's just a big softie really. Aren't you buddy?" I questioned and in answer Charizard turned around and began to lick my face affectionately, accidentally pushing me to the ground and I squealed with laughter as the crowds all laughed too, finding Charizard's affection for me both cute and amusing.

Up against Ash, I knew exactly who he'd bring out. Chimchar. I almost felt like pulling out, but we both knew that a battle was a battle, no matter who you were up against, so I put everything else behind me. Paul chose his Elekid, which I knew would be a problem for me, however Shinx might be able to take out Elekid.

When the go was given, Ash wasted no time, calling for Flamethrower. "Shield Shinx Charizard, let's go!" I ordered and Charizard stood in front of Shinx, using his wing to cover himself from the Flamethrower before cancelling it out, roaring at Chimchar. "Now, let's show them how it's really done. Flamethrower to Elekid, do it!" I punched the air, smirking as Charizard gave the most awesome Flamethrower you ever saw, burning bright and powerful.

"Shinx use Spark on Chimchar, hurry!" Shinx put on a brave face then launched its attack but Ash countered with Dig, avoiding the hit and Elekid used Protect. "Use Leer!" Great strategy, lower their defence then hit hard.

"Charizard, use Dragon Tail on the ground!" I directed and Charizard instantly hit it with all he had, forcing Chimchar out of the earth and he flew up into the air where Shinx then used Leer, zapping both Elekid and Chimchar with its red glare. "Now Fire Blast, go!" Charizard turned back to Elekid and hit with a powerful fire type attack that came so quickly that Elekid didn't have time to do anything but take the hit. "Yeah! That's my boy!" I cheered and Charizard snorted proudly in agreement.

"Great strategy Ruby, but it's not going to work for long! Chimchar, use Dig on Shinx, double time!" I laughed at Ash's call.

"Oh yeah? Well check this Ketchum! Charizard, carry Shinx up into the air!" Shinx jumped onto Charizard's back and he flew up into the sky out of reach of Chimchar's attack, however what happened next was something I didn't see until it was too late.

Elekid jumped up with a Thunder attack, hitting us both pretty hard and I called out as Charizard plummeted. "Charizard!" He pulled up at the last second, crackling with static electricity but then he shook it off, hardly taking any damage at all. "Yeah, that's how you do it. It'll more than a little spark to take us down. Go for it Peter!"

"Okay, Shinx! Use Spark on Chimchar!" Finally he got in a hit and Chimchar took it proudly, staying on his feet as Charizard roared in a cheer for Shinx who seemed to be much more at ease on the battlefield.

We exchanged blow for blow, battling it out until we all stopped and stared, seeing Elekid beginning to glow. Not a moment later, Shinx started to glow too. "What…what's happening?" Peter asked and I blinked in surprise.

"Both Elekid and Shinx are evolving. Look!" Sure enough when the light disappeared, Elekid had evolved into an Electabuzz and Shinx was now a Luxio. "Awesome! You got a Luxio Peter, isn't that cool?"

"Cool? It's amazing! Hey Luxio, you look so great!" Peter called out and Luxio turned a smirk back at Peter, proud of its new appearance. "Let's keep up the good work, use Spark!"

"Charizard, Fire Blast go!" Both attacks were formed but Electabuzz used Protect and Chimchar used Dig, hitting Luxio with a super effective move but then he turned around and used Bite, signalling the new move he'd made and Peter clapped his hands, dancing around for joy at his new Pokémon. Well, at least we can all walk away happy after today, win or lose.

Electabuzz's new powerhouse totally blew my mind as he used Thunder on Charizard as he was flying in the air, but once again he shook it off and broke the attack, making Paul even angrier than before. Oh I am so going to enjoy this. "Charizard, Wing Attack, go!" I pointed to Chimchar as Luxio used Bite on Electabuzz, though Peter was still celebrating and laughing uncontrollably, tears sliding down his face.

"My Pokémon evolved, my Pokémon evolved!" He chanted and I giggled.

"That's great and all but you should probably focus on the battle." I told him then turned back. Chimchar took the attack but then hit Charizard with a Flame Wheel, knocking him backwards as he took it in the gut and I winced slightly at the contact. That has to hurt. "Pull it together Charizard, you can do this!" I called out but then, the worst happened.

Electabuzz struck down Luxio with Brick Break, completely choking Peter's celebration as Luxio was knocked out of the battle for good and therefore, out of the competition. "No! But…but we were doing so great!"

"No need to worry. You leave this all to me." I said with a smirk. "Charizard, double Dragon Tail!" I ordered and Charizard whipped around, hitting with a glowing tail both Chimchar and Electabuzz, sending them flying and he flapped his wings to gain some space, moving back from them as he waited.

"You're not getting away so easy Ruby! Go Chimchar, use Flamethrower and give it all you got!" Ash cheered and Chimchar leaped up into the air.

"Electabuzz, Thunder, let's go!" Paul ordered and before I could say or do anything, Charizard was hit with the double attack. He roared in pain and I cried out in desperation, feeling his energy begin to deteriorate but amazingly, with a powerful roar, he flapped his wings and broke off both attacks, still standing strong. I've never felt so proud of him, and the crowd were going nuts.

"Great job Charizard, now, use Fire Blast!" Chimchar leaped forwards and tried to block the attack like before, but this time it was too powerful and he was flung backwards into Electabuzz and the two of them fell to the ground.

The stadium went silent as both Pokémon remained perfectly still, holding its breath in avid anticipation. Charizard stood breathing heavily, still ready to fight on. Slowly both Pokémon got back to their feet at Ash's urging, encouraging Chimchar on and when he looked up, I gave him a smile which he returned before looking at Charizard with a glare. "Alright! Awesome job Chimchar, now use Flamethrower one more time."

"Thunder." Paul directed sharply and the double attack struck again, Charizard too tired to dodge it. He took the attacks head on, growling with eyes tightly clenched shut and I continued to hold my breath as he fought to last it out, but then at the last second he groaned and fell with a crash to the ground.

"Charizard!" I gasped, staring at him. No way, we'd lost? I know he was at a disadvantage, but he'd always seemed so strong and invincible. It's a bit of a shock. As the crowd cheered for the victors I raced over to Charizard, skidding to a halt then touched his face as he lay still on the ground. "Charizard? Are you okay?" I worried but then he opened his eyes, soft brown and loving before he lifted his head slightly and licked my cheek with a large, long tongue, making me giggle. "That's okay then. I'm so proud of you. Only a tough guy like you could have withstood a double attack like that more than once." I said and he smiled at me as I hugged him, showing him how much I cared before returning him for a rest.

"Chimchar!" Chimchar called as he jumped up onto my shoulder and Pikachu took the other.

"Pikachu Pi!" He cheered and I giggled, tickling both their cheeks and chins.

"Hey guys! Was that an awesome battle or what?" I asked as Peter walked over to me with his head hanging low.

"I'm sorry Ruby. It's all my fault we lost." He said so I reached out and touched his shoulder.

"No it's not Peter, it's just one of those things." I informed and he looked up at me with wide eyes. "You see, battling isn't just about who has the stronger Pokémon, it's also about who has the best connection or bond with their trainer. Loving your Pokémon is important, because it makes them want to succeed for you, and being confident certainly helps. Just look how far you got! And your Shinx evolved into a Luxio, now if that's not a winner, then I don't know what is." I said and his eyes grew misty with tears before he flung his arms around me in a tight hug.

"You're the greatest Ruby. I'll never forget you." He vowed as I hugged him back.

"Me neither Peter, I promise." Just then Ash ran over, jumping up and celebrating with a cheer and he actually lifted me up and spun me around, making me squeal with laughter in his boyish excitement at having won the tag battle competition.

"Chimchar won! Did you see that Ruby? We beat your Charizard! Wasn't it awesome?" He questioned so I whacked him on the back of the head with a laugh as both Pikachu and Chimchar danced on my shoulders.

"Sure is genius, but you won't beat us ever again, I can promise you that!" I laughed before Ash was summoned up to the platform to receive his prize. After I'd said goodbye to Peter and exchanged emails, I watched as he ran over to his mom as bubbly and bright as I'd ever seen him.

His mother was a stern faced, large woman, but upon seeing her boy so psyched and happy, it broke her into tears and I walked away with a smile on my face, Pikachu still hitching a ride on my shoulder. "You know Pikachu, sometimes losing is the best part of a competition." I said to him and he nodded his head in agreement.

"Pika Pikachu." We head back to the Pokémon Centre for a nice cold drink with the others and Dawn couldn't stop ringing the bell, enjoying the sweet sound it made.

"It's never fun losing a competition, but we'll win the next one." She said to Piplup confidently who chirped in agreement.

"Piplup Pip!"

"This was great, a nice change of pace." Brock said as I brought over some ice cream and a congratulations cake for Ash I'd whipped up earlier.

"And we get to celebrate with dessert, so dig in!" I invited everyone and Ash instantly shoved a piece of cake into his mouth, sighing at the sweet taste.

"You're the best Ruby!" He said and I smirked proudly.

"You sure are! Huh? Hey, it's Paul." Dawn said and we all looked around to see Paul walking towards us. He wore his usual scowl but right now it looked somewhat nastier than before. If Nurse Joy wasn't so close by, I would deck him on right now. He flung his Soothe Bell at Ash who caught it expertly before leaping to his feet.

"What was that for?!" He demanded but Paul merely turned away.

"I have no need for that." Paul informed before walking away. Good, I hope I never see that jerk again.

"Don't mind him." Ash said to Chimchar as he glared after Paul with a growl. "We're a team now, you me and Ruby." He said and Chimchar nodded his head in agreement.

"Char!"

"Say, I've got an idea. Why not head to the Vailstone gym in Vailstone City?" It was Conway, looking at us all through his glasses which caught the light perfectly, hiding his eyes from view as he gave a slightly creepy chuckle.

"Hey Ash, isn't Vailstone where Paul's from?" Brock questioned and Ash spun around.

"Yeah! And that's where I'm going to get my third Sinnoh gym badge for sure!" Ash said and all the Pokémon cheered in agreement, though Piplup accidentally fell off the table in his leap and I had to quickly catch him before he could hit the ground, though everybody chuckled. "Hey Ruby, you better take this." Ash said, tossing me Paul's Soothe Bell which I caught with one hand, slightly surprised.

"What are you giving it to me for? You're the one who won." I said but Ash merely smiled.

"Second place deserves a prize too! Besides, you love getting close to your Pokémon. It's all you're ever trying to do." Ash said. "So you'll make better use of that Soothe Bell than I would." He reasoned so I smiled at him.

"Thanks Ash, you're just the best." I said, reaching behind me to rub Chimchar's cheek as he stood behind me. "Now, who wants cake?!"


	18. Chapter 18

"Come on! Is lunch ready yet?" Ash whined as Brock stirred the soup, however at Ash's persistent whining, he turned around in a flash.

"It'll be done a lot sooner if you'd help out a little!" He yelled before going back to the soup.

"Brock's right you know." Dawn said pointedly as she held the blanket in her arms. Ash rolled his eyes before getting up.

"Okay, okay, I'll help out. You heard them guys, let's get to work!" Ash called then brought out all his Pokémon, including Chimchar. Hey, not a bad idea genius.

"Yeah! That means all of you too!" I said with a laugh then brought out my Pokémon too. "Charizard, Leafeon, you start on a warm bonfire for tonight, Ponyta, Shieldon, would you guys help me carry some water back from the river?" I asked and they all nodded their heads. "Great! Thanks." I said and we all broke off to do our assigned tasks.

I filled the large canisters with water then slung them over Ponyta's back in the saddlebag I had made then let Shieldon lead the way back for me, though he hadn't got too close to the water because he didn't like it too much.

With the water I began making a special drink for everyone out of berry juice and some lemonade I had made earlier in the day, creating a fizzy pop drink for people and Pokémon, though for Pachirisu I left out the fizz, she didn't need to be any more hyper than she was already.

"Wow! That looks so great!" Ash said as I poured a glass for everyone who stood in line. "Between you and Brock, you could open a restaurant and be loaded with money in no time." He said as he guzzled down his first drink then came back for more. I arched an eyebrow then chuckled as I caved in and filled his glass again.

"Thanks Ash, but I think we all know where our careers are going." I said then looked down at Chimchar as he approached, slightly uncertain if he was allowed to have anything. "Hey there Chimchar, would you like to try some?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Chimchar Chim." He said then jumped up onto my shoulder as I poured a glass then let him try a little. Instantly his eyes widened with a smile. "Chimchar!" He cheered then guzzled down the rest, making me giggle.

"Glad you like it. Here, have some more. There's plenty." I assured him, pouring some more into his cup then carried him over to where his food bowl had been laid out. "Now you enjoy." I said, tickling his chin before sitting down with the others.

"Man, there's no one who can cook like Brock, this is amazing!" Ash said as he chowed down but then looked at Chimchar who hadn't yet eaten a thing. "Hey Chimchar, you must be hungry, so eat up! It's really good." He said then reached down. I watched as Chimchar flinched, tensing with closed eyes but then jumped slightly in surprise when Ash only rubbed his head affectionately.

Chimchar looked to his food then took a piece, inspecting it curiously before eating it all in one go. "Chimchar!"

"See? I told you it was great." Ash smiled and the two of them ate all their food and even had seconds. After lunch was cleared away we started with some battle practice. Charizard kept a careful eye on the younger ones as Shieldon and I practiced Iron Head against a tree.

We were doing pretty good when suddenly we heard Ash and Dawn's battle start to really heat up, with Piplup and Chimchar exchanging blows with Peck and Scratch. "Alright Chimchar, use Dig one more time!" Ash called and Chimchar instantly dove underground.

"We can't see Chimchar, so keep a sharp eye out for when he comes back!" Dawn said to Piplup who instantly began to look left and right, searching for the point where Chimchar would reappear but then he burst from the ground directly beneath the proud Piplup, sending him flying into the air.

"Now Chimchar, use Flamethrower!"

"Use Bubblebeam Piplup, let's go!" Dawn countered and the two attacks collided with even match before gradually, Piplup's began to take the edge and pushed back until finally it hit Chimchar and sent him flying backwards.

"And that's it!" Brock called, deciding that enough was enough. "Great work you two, you're really starting to grow strong." He complimented as all the Pokémon cheered. Charizard lowered his head down to Chimchar and nuzzled him gently, giving a smile as Chimchar remained flat on the ground as Ash and I walked over.

"Hey Chimchar, you were so great." Ash said as he picked Chimchar off the ground. "You fought hard and almost won against a tough opponent for you."

"Yeah, Piplup's water attacks are strong and you held them back for a long time." I added, patting Charizard's belly as everyone complimented Chimchar. Our little chimp friend looked around, completely stunned before bursting into tears, startling Ash.

"Chimchar! What's wrong? Everyone thinks you're great!" He said as Chimchar clung onto Ash and continued to sob so he smiled and patted Chimchar's back, trying to comfort him as I looked up at Charizard with a sad smile.

"I guess sometimes you've got to just let it all out." Brock said.

"What do you mean?" Dawn questioned in confusion as she stepped closer with Piplup in her arms.

"Well Chimchar couldn't really show any emotion around Paul and it's been bottled up inside him for a long time." Brock explained as I walked closer and rubbed Chimchar's head and joined the hug, smiling as Ash put his arm around me.

"It's okay Chimchar. You let it all out." I said to him softly. "You're safe now." Chimchar stopped crying after he'd spent all his tears and he spent the rest of the day on my shoulder, helping me train the others until finally it was bed time.

He curled up on the blanket, however I think he had a nightmare as in the middle of the night I felt him quietly climb into my sleeping bag with me. "Huh? Hey Chimchar, bad dream?" I asked and he nodded his head with a sad face. "No need to worry, I get them too you know and they're never nice to wake up from. So that's why I always find a friend to cuddle and it makes it all better." I said with a sleepy yawn, pulling him to me. "You just relax and try to get some rest. We've got a busy day ahead of us." And before I knew it his tail flame had gone out and he was fast asleep, curled up close next to me with one hand woven into my hair to grip onto me for comfort and security.


	19. Chapter 19

With Dawn setting her sights on her next contest, she was glad to run into Zoe at the Pokémon Centre we'd stopped at and the next day, got right down to training whilst I faced Ash. For extra speed, we'd decided that I'd battle with his Aipom so that they could all be prepared for their next gym battle in Vailstone City.

"You ready Ruby?" Ash called to me and I gave a wave.

"Sure am! Aipom and I are going to show you just how it's done." I said and Aipom gave a sound of agreement.

"Aipom!" She focused on Chimchar, who was going to be our opponent before Brock called for the battle to begin.

"Okay, Aipom, use Swift!" I directed and Aipom instantly leaped up into the air and waved her tail around, shooting stars at Chimchar who used Dig to avoid the attack. "Awesome display, now Aipom get ready." I said, looking towards the ground. "Use your feet to feel the ground to locate Chimchar."

Aipom dropped to the ground and instantly closed her eyes, sensing for Chimchar as he burrowed underground before rising up. "Now!" Aipom moved at my call, springing back then twisted elegantly, making me giggle. She sure knows how to impress people with her moves. "Use Focus Punch!" Aipom swung her tail around as it glowed and scored a direct hit against Chimchar.

"You can do it Chimchar, use Flamethrower!" Ash called out and Chimchar was instantly back on his feet and used his Flamethrower on Aipom, who'd stopped to look at the pretty display of Glameow as it used Shadow Claw to break through Buizel's Aqua Jet to show off its power and grace.

"Heads up Aipom, look out!" I called and Aipom blinked before looking around only to be hit full on. "Aipom! Are you okay?" I asked then frowned. "You've got to focus, you can't let Dawn's training distract you when you're in a battle." I said before pointing to the sky. "Now, use Swift!"

Aipom leaped up into the air and started using Swift which Chimchar blocked by using Flame Wheel, bursting the stars into a dazzling array of golden dust which made me smile. Well, it is Aipom's style after all.

"Buizel, what in the world are you looking at?" Dawn asked and Buizel instantly snapped back to his senses, looking at the battle. Zoe caught my eye and together we both gave a nod.

"Hold on Dawn." She said, walking forwards as I did the same.

"You too Ash." Aipom landed on my head and hitched a ride as I walked over to everybody before she jumped onto Ash's hat instead, Chimchar climbing up to my shoulder where I smiled and rubbed his cheek. "I think we'd better talk."

"Why, what's wrong?" Ash questioned as Zoe gave Dawn a smile.

"You remember what I said about Dawn raising Aipom?" She asked and both Ash and Dawn nodded their heads, saying that they remembered. "Well, I see now that I was right. Aipom loves contests, it's plain as day when I get the feeling that you're forcing Buizel into performing." Zoe explained and Dawn blinked in surprise.

"I'd never really thought about it." She said then looked at Ash who was looking up at Aipom on his head.

"I know Aipom loves to perform, but we're getting ready for a battle at the next gym." He said and Aipom hung her head slightly.

"But Ash, a trainer needs to be sensitive to what their Pokémon wants." I told him. "You see, Aipom is great at showing off her moves, whereas Buizel is just a powerhouse waiting to give it all he's got and then some."

"Right, so what we're saying is, you two should trade Pokémon." Zoe revealed and instantly, both Ash and Dawn stared at us.

"Trade Pokémon? I'd have never thought of that." Ash said, picking Aipom off his head to look down at her cute little face. It took a while, discussing all their options and even Nurse Joy helped before finally, I just stood up and folded my arms.

"Look, why don't we ask Buizel and Aipom what _they_ want?" I said, gesturing them both. "They should have a say as it's their lives."

"You're right." Ash said before looking to Aipom. "So Aipom, what do you want to do?" He asked and Aipom frowned slightly, unsure. It was Buizel who said the first word.

"Bui! Bui! Bui-Bui!" He gestured with his paw at Brock, standing in front of Ash and instantly I smiled.

"Of course! Have a battle with each other's Pokémon." I translated as everyone frowned in confusion. "Nice thinking Buizel. Ash, you can battle against Brock with Buizel, and Dawn, you battle against Zoe with Aipom. That way, you can see how you like battling with one another and get to know one another a little better."

"That's a great idea, I'm in." Zoe said and stood up. We went back to the training grounds and I stood to referee the matches, keeping an eye on them all as everyone took their place. "Okay Ruby, we're ready!" Zoe called.

"Us too, let's get this battle going!" Brock said and I smiled before lifting a hand.

"In that case, battle on!" The battle was quick, only a few minutes or so but that was all we needed. When I called time, everyone stopped and looked at Dawn and Ash, who looked at one another.

"Guess that settles it then." He said and Dawn nodded, smiling as she stood with Aipom on her head.

"Guess so." And so the trade was made. We spent the rest of the day hanging out, however I took a long walk around sunset with Shieldon and Chimchar, admiring the town and all the trees as they glowed in the light of the setting sun.

"There's nothing better than a sunset." I sighed softly, picking up Shieldon who smiled up at me whilst Chimchar rode on my head, gripping on easily with his hands and feet though he was completely lax and comfortable where he sat, one hand brushing against my hair occasionally as we watched the changing colours of the sun.

"Shieldon." He agreed as I climbed a hill all the way to the top to sit down. We watched the sunset together, Shieldon resting in my lap as the breeze brushed through my hair which I'd tied back from my face, half up half down. Chimchar slid down to my shoulder then buried himself in for a cuddle, my head turning so that he was cradled neatly against me. I missed my hat, it made hiding my hair so much easier and it had a lot of sentimental value. I just hope Gary's taking good care of it. "Shieldon?" I looked down at Shieldon's questioning gaze then smiled.

"I'm fine, just a little lost in thought." I told him. "You know, I can't wait for you guys to meet all my other Pokémon back home. There's Pidgeot, Dragonair, Vaporeon, Gallade, Gardevoir, Froslass…it's going to be so exciting. I really miss them all sometimes." Shieldon touched my shoulder gently with a pat then rubbed his head against me affectionately. "Thanks Shieldon, you'll fit right in, and when you're a little stronger, you can help me win badges for the Pokémon Leagues. I'll have to come back to Sinnoh one day, and when we win, we'll move on to the next region. It'll be so much fun, I totally can't wait."

"Shield, Shieldon!" Shieldon agreed, making me giggle. Chimchar made a soft sound and pressed a hand to my cheek so I smiled down at him.

"I'm sure everyone will love you, Chimchar, so don't worry about a thing. And don't worry about getting stronger anymore, you'll grow and develop in your own time without any special training. You're plenty special enough to me already." Chimchar's eyes widened in awe at my words before he embraced me tightly, sniffing slightly with emotion as I hugged my two Pokémon to me, relaxed and happy to be in their company before we returned to watching the sunset together. "This is the life. Open road, good friends and great Pokémon." I sighed dreamily, watching as the last rays of sun began to fall behind the hill.

"It's going to be so exciting, travelling around together with all our friends. We'll meet new people and Pokémon, battle tough trainers and discover so many amazing things about this world. You'll be right there with me, won't you?" Instantly Chimchar answered with enthusiastic chants.

"Chimchar Chim!" Chimchar cheered and I giggled before pulling out my camera and turned it around to take a photo of us all.

"Okay, say banana!" I laughed, pulling a silly face for the first photo and Chimchar stuck out his tongue too but then Shieldon began to tickle me, making me laugh and so the next photo became one of my favourites.

It perfectly captured the three of us, laughing together with our eyes closed but still obviously happy. We watched the sunset until the stars had appeared and the night began to arrive, so I carried my two Pokémon back to the others where Ash looked up and sighed with relief.

"We were beginning to worry, when Chimchar disappeared I thought Team Rocket may have snatched him." I giggled as Chimchar jumped up with a wave which Pikachu answered brightly.

"You see Ash? Just like I said, no need to worry." Dawn said proudly as I reached the others. "She's just fine, and so is Chimchar."

"Uh huh, sorry we were gone so long." I said, putting Shieldon down so that he could chase Pikachu around playfully and Chimchar hopped off to join in the chase. "But the sun was really beautiful tonight."

"One question, how come you like watching the sunset so much?" Dawn asked me and I shrugged.

"It's the perfect time for meditation. It's quiet, peaceful and beautiful. It's when I can really relax with my Pokémon. That's why I like it so much." I explained to her before rubbing my hands. "Now, who wants brownies?"

"Me! Me! I do I do!" Ash yelled, lifting a hand high and Pikachu jumped up.

"Pika! Pika Pi! Pikachu!" He chorused and all the Pokémon began to jump up and down, echoing one another as they called for brownies.

"A batch of Ruby's Brownie Bake Bonanza coming right up!" I called as I head over to the kitchen and I heard the happy cheer of everyone behind me, making me giggle before I set to work. I rustled up several variations of brownies in no time then brought them out to the guys, carrying a tray in each arm and one on my head, smiling as I balanced it carefully. "Okay, grubs up!" I called and instantly people began to dive in.

I'd baked some with bananas for Chimchar and Aipom, some with white chocolate for Dawn, Piplup, Brock and Shieldon and the rest were specialised for all the other Pokémon with either their favourite toppings or secret ingredients that only they liked. For example one was covered in ketchup, which Pikachu downed in one gulp before hugging me with sparkling eyes, making me giggle before I handed him another. "Wow, if I could eat like this every day, I'd marry you Ruby." Ash said between mouthfuls as he shovelled in brownie after brownie.

"If I had to see you eat like that every day, I definitely wouldn't." I answered with a laugh as Dawn glanced between the two of us then wore a thoughtful expression. Uh oh, what's she up to? We went outside with the rest of the brownies as it was still very warm and we sat down under the moon at a park, letting the Pokémon get a little more exercise before it was bed time.

"Hey, I have an idea." Dawn suddenly said. "Let's play a game of truth or dare!" She called and I arched my eyebrow.

"Truth or dare?" Ash repeated and she nodded her head eagerly, dragging him forwards.

"Yeah come on! It'll be fun." She pulled him down into a circle then started to organise everybody, getting all the Pokémon to sit in a circle with us.

"Sure why not? We haven't had a game night in a long time." Brock said, sitting down without needing to be forced by Dawn, though she made me sit next to Ash. I clapped my hands and giggled as Leafeon jumped into my lap, licking my face before settling there. "So how do you want to do this?"

"Easy! We spin this bottle and whoever it lands on has to either tell a truth or do a dare." She told us, putting down a plastic bottle that she normally had water in then spun it on a plate, watching it carefully before it landed on Pikachu. "Pikachu it's you! Okay, truth or dare?" She questioned and Pikachu gulped.

"Uh Dawn? You realise that if he picks truth, we won't be able to understand what he's saying?" I said to her but she continued to smile.

"No need to worry! The Pokémon will understand, right guys?" They all chorused in agreement. "Okay Pikachu, truth or dare?" Feeling brave, Pikachu picked dare so Dawn came up with his dare. "Okay, I dare you to…wear these ribbons!" She pulled out two pink ribbons and twirled them in front of Pikachu, who instantly balked backwards.

"Pika?!" He squeaked before sighing, caving in. Dawn giggled as she fixed the ribbons into bows on both of Pikachu's ears and everyone began to laugh as he posed for us all, spinning around in a circle and I saw Buneary blush brightly and giggle upon seeing Pikachu look so ridiculous. Though it was kind of cute in a way.

After taking a sneaky photo, we moved on. "Aipom, it's you!" Dawn said and Aipom jumped up, squeaking excitedly. "Truth or dare?" Aipom went for a dare as well, so I came up with the dare this time, being on Dawn's right.

"Aipom, I dare you to stand upside down whilst balancing Pikachu on your tail and sing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'." I told her, saying the first things that came to mind. Aipom instantly jumped to it, turning on her hands to stand upside down then lifted Pikachu up, balancing him on her tail as she began to sing the tune in her own voice, making us all giggle.

Next up was Brock, who opted for truth. "Okay Brock, so…who do you like more, Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny?" All hell broke loose.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT?! I COULDN'T CHOOSE, THEY'RE BOTH SO BEAUTIFUL!" He cried out, clutching his hair in despair before Croagunk smartly used Poison Jab, hitting Brock back into his senses. "AGH! And I'm so done for…" He groaned as Croagunk pulled him away to calm down, making us all giggle.

We had fun, coming up with silly dares and the Pokémon had a laugh when one of them were cornered into a truth, but when I asked Dawn why she was called Dee-Dee, she only pulled her hat over her face to hide.

"DON'T ASK ME THAT! I forfeit!" She called so she had to put on a pair of Ash's trousers, one of my shirts, Brock's outer layer and even put on his shoes. "What?! This is a fashion nightmare! Nothing works!" She cried out, wearing all our spare clothes and we laughed at her expense as she sat down, looking completely grumpy about her hideous outfit.

Then came my turn. Or at least, half my turn. You see, the bottle stopped exactly between Ash and I so we weren't sure who had to take a turn, so Dawn came up with a solution. "How about you do a truth or dare together?" I looked at Ash who frowned in thought then nodded his head.

"Sure! Sounds fair, doesn't it Ruby?"

"You got it genius. Do you want to do truth or dare?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Let's do a dare, they're way more fun!" He said and we turned to look at the others. The Pokémon all began to call out suggestions but after a moment, Dawn came up with her decision for our dare.

"I got it. Okay you two, your dare is that you have to _kiss_ one another." We both yelled and fell back onto the ground. "On the _lips_."

"WHAT?!" We both yelled, shooting upright to stare at Dawn. "That's not fair!" She smirked victoriously.

"You said dare. If you forfeit then that means it'll only get worse, and trust me. You don't want it to get worse." What is she up to? There's a reason for this, I just can't figure out what. I looked at Ash who blinked at me then shuddered.

"Do we have to?" He asked but then all the Pokémon began to cheer, encouraging us on so I rolled my eyes.

"I'll get you for this Dawn." I said to her firmly before shifting around to face Ash. This won't be so bad, it's only Ash after all. Though I think he's blushing more than I am. Taking a deep breath I moved a little closer and Ash copied, closing his eyes then just froze in place. Great, now it's up to me.

"Better hurry up, or I'll start calling you both chickens." Dawn warned so I just shoved all thoughts aside and went for it, though my heart was hammering painfully. I didn't close my eyes until our lips had made contact, seeing as I didn't want to bash heads or anything, but I was kind of surprised by how nice it felt.

Ash's lips were soft and warm, tasting of chocolate from the brownies and I exhaled with relief. At least it wasn't gross like I'd thought it would be. I think Ash might have been surprised too, because he didn't pull away immediately and retch as if it were a disgusting thing, but rather he grinned into the kiss, making me giggle too before I pulled back.

Out the corner of my eye I saw Dawn look hopefully at us both, clenching her fists as she watched for our reaction. "Well, not bad for a first kiss." I said to Ash with a wink. "But don't be getting any ideas of it ever happening again." He laughed.

"That's fine by me, your hair started to tickle." So that's why he was grinning. I beamed at him, running a hand through my wavy locks but then Dawn cried out.

"Ugh! This is so infuriating! Can't you guys just get together already?" She demanded, leaping to her feet and everyone looked at her in shock. Get together? With Ash? No way! Not ever! That would just be wrong.

"Dawn…what are you talking about?" I asked as she sat back down again.

"You and Ash! You'd be perfect for one another. You travel together, you live in the same town, you argue all the time but I know that you secretly really care about one another and Ash compliments you all the time calling you pretty, and he even said he'd marry you earlier!" She gushed, ranting at us both as the three of us, as well as all the Pokémon, blinked dumbly. "I thought if I could just get you guys to kiss then you'd realise how in love you are with each other then it'd be a happily ever after! So romantic…" She trailed off and I began to laugh, then Ash joined in, then Brock, then all the Pokémon. "What is so funny?" She demanded to know.

"Me? And Ash? That would never happen!" I laughed, clutching my stomach as Ash cried with laughter.

"Yeah, Ruby's like my own sister! I love her and all, but not like that!" Ash fell backwards in his delirium, making me laugh all the more at his genius moves.

"You see Dawn, Ash and Ruby are close because we're all family, but they'd never fall in love with one another. If they did, I doubt Ash would survive a single day with Ruby. She'd tear him to pieces she gets so annoyed with him." Brock explained. "So unfortunately, there's no happily ever after here."

"But…but you two would make such a _cute_ couple! Am I right?" She asked and all her Pokémon nodded their heads in agreement. I felt someone reach out and take my hand and I smiled at Ash as he entwined his fingers through mine.

"Maybe, but Ruby deserves someone way better than me, and I deserve someone who wouldn't kill me for doing something stupid like I always end up doing." He said with a smile and I gave his hand a little squeeze.

"You don't do something stupid _all_ the time, genius. Just most of the time." We all had a little giggle before finishing the game, learning more secrets about one another that we promised not to tell anyone else. Did you know Dawn had a doll called Samantha that she had all the way up until she left home for her Pokémon journey? She kept it in bed to cuddle all the time. Oh and did you know Brock used to collect stamps? I know! I never knew that before.

Just goes to show that friends can keep on surprising you just as much as Pokémon.


	20. Chapter 20

"Okay, Aipom, use Focus Punch!" Dawn called and Aipom leaped up into the air to start hitting all her stars with a Focus Punch so fast it looked like she had two tails. Wait a second, two tails? No way! Aipom learned a new move!

"Wow, that looks awesome Dawn." Ash complimented as we all watched.

"I wanted it to look like Aipom was hitting with two tails." She answered us.

"Uh…Dawn? You realise that's not Focus Punch, right?" I questioned and she blinked at me.

"What do you mean?"

"That's Double Hit." Brock explained to her as Aipom dropped to the ground elegantly. "If Aipom's learned that move, then she should be close to evolving." He said and instantly Dawn squealed with excitement.

"Evolving? Into what? What does Aipom evolve into?" She asked but before we could look it up, a voice answered us.

"Ambipom. It evolves into Ambipom." Hey, that's Kenny's voice! I figured he'd show up around here sooner or later for the contest.

"Kenny!" Dawn said, looking around to see him walking towards us with his Prinplup at his side.

"Well what do you know? If it isn't Dawn's old friend." Brock said warmly in greeting.

"Long time no see. I am kinda surprised you didn't know what the name of the evolved form of Aipom is. Dee-Dee." Kenny drew out, making Dawn mad.

"Don't ever call me Dee-Dee again!" She ordered but then the genius had to go and open his mouth.

"Kenny, why do you call her Dee-Dee?" He questioned but then Dawn waved her hands frantically and grabbed his face, pulling on his lips to make some rather hilarious faces.

"No! Ash, don't go there!"

"Looks like everybody's got secrets hidden in their closets." Brock said as I chuckled.

"So you'll be in the contest right?" Kenny asked and Dawn nodded her head.

"Of course."

"That was too bad about Hardome City." Kenny said, giving Dawn a smirk but, optimistic as ever, she merely smiled and lifted back her fists in a confident stance.

"No need to worry! I'm ready this time." She said, holding up two fingers in a victory sign which Aipom instantly copied.

"I didn't know you had an Aipom." Kenny said, looking to our little star who beamed at him.

"Oh yeah, Ash used to be Aipom's trainer, remember Aipom in the Jubilife contest? I traded Ash's Aipom for my Buizel. This time I'm going to use Aipom for round one and two, then we'll win for sure." She said confidently but Kenny was all cool and calmness.

"Yeah well don't forget we're entering too, and we're feeling pretty strong." He said. After Ash showed Kenny his two badges, he challenged Kenny to a rematch for the battle they never actually finished, however Kenny declined, saying he was actually on his way to see Dialga and Palkia.

Wait, what?!

By Dialga and Palkia, Kenny actually meant statues of them. They were pretty impressive and I couldn't help but admire how Dialga looked. Regal, strong, powerful, I wish I could meet them both. It would certainly be an encounter I'd never forget.

Ash and Kenny started to battle before the statues and the temple dedicated to the legendary Pokémon. I was impressed with Kenny's Breloom and it's Energy Ball. I've been trying to teach Leafeon a new grass type move, Leaf Storm, but we don't seem to be getting anywhere with it. Maybe we'd be more successful with Energy Ball? It certainly looks pretty.

"See? I told you he was planning on showing off." Dawn said by my side as we sat on the steps of the temple, watching the battle.

"Got to admit, he's very good at doing just that." I shrugged simply. "That Energy Ball is powerful and beautiful. I've got to teach it to Leafeon, we could use it in both contest and gym battles." Ash and Kenny were just about ready to continue battling, now with the deal that if Ash won Kenny would help teach Turtwig Energy Ball, when a strange red light appeared from inside the temple.

Suddenly without even a fair warning, the steps began to move and I cried out as they lifted up, carrying myself, Dawn, Piplup and Aipom with it. Dawn screamed, clinging onto me as I struggled to maintain my grip on the edge of the steps, gripping on to keep us from falling but then Piplup lost his hold and fell backwards. "Piplup!" Dawn called out but Aipom jumped down and caught hold of Aipom's flipper, trying to keep a hold but then her tail lost its grip on the steps and they fell into the red light that swallowed the door. "Piplup! Aipom!" Dawn yelled then dropped down, jumping into the light and disappeared.

"Dawn!" I cried out after her then let go, sliding down before leaping through, crying out as I tumbled through before landing on solid ground, making me yelp from the hit before groaning. "Well, at least no one landed on me this time." I muttered to myself and started to get up.

"Look out!" I heard Dawn yell and I looked up before yelling, trying to move out the way but then Dawn landed on my back, using me as a cushion before Piplup and Aipom landed in her arms. "Sorry Ruby!"

"Why?!" I yelled, struggling to sit up. "I fell in _after_ you! Why do I always have to be the one to get squished?!" Rant over, I stood up and looked around. The temple was bathed in an eerie red glow and Dawn trembled slightly in fear, gripping onto my arm.

"What is this place? What's going on?" She asked me but I merely shrugged.

"Haven't a clue. Come on, let's find a way out of here." I said but before I could turn to leave, shapes appeared in the wall and appeared before us, glaring angrily. They looked like letters with a single eye and I instantly recognised them to be similar to the writing on the stone tablets we'd seen under the statues outside and also on the one Cynthia had read to us.

"Unown, the symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered." Dawn's Pokédex revealed as I took a careful step back.

"Maybe they're friendly?" I suggested but then they blasted us with a combined Hidden Power attack. "Maybe not!" Dawn cried out and hid behind me but then both Piplup and Aipom jumped into the air and blasted the attack with Swift and Bubblebeam, cancelling it out and effectively saving our necks.

"Thanks guys!"

"Now let's get moving." I said, grabbing Dawn's hand to run away from the scary Pokémon. "Leafeon, I need you, let's go!" I called and Leafeon appeared mid stride, falling into step beside me as I pulled Dawn along and we ran up a staircase which was surrounded by open air, completely freaking me out on the inside.

Up ahead more of those Unown appeared and they attacked us with the only attack they knew so I grabbed Dawn and ducked down, shielding her from harm. "Leafeon go! Razor Leaf!" I called and he instantly began to hit back.

"Aipom use Swift and Piplup use Bubblebeam!" Dawn directed and the three moves combined shielded us from being hit, but then carried on through the blast to strike the Unown. We stood up and when the smoke cleared, the Unown blinked before moving away, losing interest in us and all the red disappeared with them, returning the space around us to a simple corridor. "Huh? We're back!" Dawn noted before standing up. "But it still looks dark and creepy."

"I can fix that. Use Synthesis Leafeon." I said and Leafeon nodded his head before beginning to glow brightly. He walked forwards, leading the way and the light helped us to see further ahead, allowing some warning in case we were attacked again.

When we turned through an open door we were instantly met with a similar scene as before, a staircase leading up with open air hanging all around and a bunch of Unown waiting for us at the top. "Okay Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn ordered and Piplup instantly hit with his powerful move, knocking some sense back into the Unown.

"It's like they're confused, but when we hit them with something, they wake up and everything returns to normal." I said as the temple fell back into shape around us. "Something must have made them all confused in the first place. Or angry." Just then a bundle of bodies came tumbling down in front of us, sprawling at the bottom of a staircase with groans.

"Team Rocket?!"

"Why am I not surprised to find you three goons here?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hips. "What did you do?"

"Is all of this your doing?" Dawn demanded, placing her hands on her hips too but Team Rocket actually surprised me.

"Not today!" Just then another bunch of Unown appeared so I quickly pointed ahead.

"Razor Leaf Leafeon, do it!" I called and Leafeon instantly started to attack as Team Rocket hid behind us.

"Save us!"

"You guys are so lame." Dawn said before joining the battle. "Okay, Bubblebeam Piplup, let's go!" However both attacks together weren't quite enough to stop these angry critters, even through the explosion they powered on through and aimed straight for us so I reacted upon instinct.

"Double Hit!" I cried out and Aipom instantly jumped forwards, hitting with fast movements to push the Unown back before she sprang into the air. "Great job!" I cheered but then Aipom started to glow.

"Huh?!" Dawn's eyes grew wide as Aipom began to evolve. Her tail split into two, her arms grew longer and twin tufts of long hair sprouted from the top of her head until finally, she dropped down to the ground with a call. "Aipom evolved into Ambipom!" Dawn whispered proudly, clutching her hands together with glittering eyes.

"Heads up Dawn!" I called, pointing to the Unown with a smile and instantly she was back in the game.

"Alright, Ambipom, use Swift!" She called and instantly Ambipom hit with her twin tails, knocking back the Unown and woke them up from their confusion and they drifted away without another word.

"Wow. That sure was impressive." I said with a wink to Ambipom as she turned around. "Looking good Ambipom!"

"Ambi! Ambipom!" She cheered and I giggled before looking up when I heard Ash's voice.

"Ruby!"

"Hey Ash, what're you doing on the ceiling?" I asked him, looking up to see them hanging upside down like Zubat. "How'd you get up there?"

"Us? You're the ones on the ceiling!" He returned but I looked down then at my hands and checked to make sure my hair wasn't hanging down.

"Uh nope. I don't think so."

"This must be the Unnown's doing." Brock said. Speak of the devil, another hoard of them appeared before us, making Team Rocket freak out and hide behind me, gripping onto my jacket and trying to shield themselves.

"The tough twerp can take care of them, nothing gets past her!" James squeaked as I clapped a hand to my face.

"Give me a break. Leafeon, use Synthesis, super charge!" I pointed and Leafeon jumped up into the air before shimmering a harsh gold, burning brightly in the air and the Unown all cowered back, closing their eyes from the light until Leafeon dropped down gracefully and slowly dimmed the light before looking up.

Piplup stepped forwards and began to talk to the Unown who didn't look so angry anymore and they looked around them, slightly baffled. "What's Piplup saying?" Dawn asked.

"Meowth, any translations?" Jessie asked their little cat friend who swallowed, still watching the Unown nervously.

"I think Piplup is trying to get on their good side." Well whatever Piplup said, it sure worked because the Unown disappeared and things were returned to normal. When I say normal, I mean…we _were_ actually hanging upside down from the ceiling. "AGH!" We all yelled as we tumbled to the ground and I closed my eyes, tucking up and embraced for impact.

"Ruby!"

"Oh no, Dawn!"

"Quick Happiny, catch them!" Brock called and Happiny appeared with a bright chirp, bouncing forwards and when I felt someone catch me, I opened my eyes in time to see Ash falling to the ground with me in my arms.

"Hey, nice catch genius." I said as he grinned at me.

"No problem." He answered. Hey, for once I didn't get squashed!

"Ambipom!" I yelped as someone crashed into me, ploughing me off of Ash and into the hard ground, making me groan in pain as Ambipom then began to dance happily, glad I'd caught her.

"Ow…guess some habits just die hard." I grumbled before managing to get to my feet then stretched upwards to click my back. Just then the sound of moving stone could be heard and light filtered through before us and we looked to see the steps lowering back down again, opening the way out for us all.

"Let's get out of here before it changes its mind!" Jessie yelled and Team Rocket ran for the exit with the rest of us following behind until finally, we stopped before the statues, gasping for breath. Leafeon sat down at my side and licked his paws to clean them as I did a quick head count before sighing with relief. All present and accounted for.

"Piplup, you were great. Thanks to you, we were all able to get out." Dawn praised her little blue partner who chirped happily in response.

"I'd still like to know what you said to them back there." Ash said so Brock turned to Team Rocket who recovered their breath on the ground.

"Why don't Team Rocket tell us?" He suggested and Team Rocket all froze before leaping to their feet with innocently guilty expressions.

"We don't know a thing!" Jessie tried to tell us, waving her hand in front of her nose.

"Just like always." James agreed, smiling forcefully at us.

"That said, later!" Meowth bid before they all ran for it, clearing off in a heartbeat without leaving a single trace behind them except a dust trail. We blinked then shook our heads. Those guys were just weird.

"So, let's check out Ambipom." Ash said, turning and pulled out his Pokédex as Ambipom jumped from statue to statue, flipping over her head playfully.

"Ambipom, the long tail Pokémon. Ambipom uses its two tails to shell nuts and then links them together in a ring as a sign of friendship." It said as Dawn walked forwards.

"Now that Ambipom's evolved and polished her moves, we'll win that contest for sure. Right Ambipom?"

"Ambipom, Ambipom!" She cheered as Ash spun around to face Kenny.

"Okay Kenny, now what happened with that battle of ours?" Kenny instantly blushed, giving a nervous little laugh.

"Yeah…once we get back to the Pokémon Centre, I'll teach you Energy Ball." He said, surprising Ash and as Kenny lowered his voice to whisper to Ash, I leaned closer to listen. "If you won't tell Dee-Dee how freaked out back there I was, promise?" I gave a giggle before grabbing the back of Ash's jacket.

"Come on genius. It's late and I'm hungry. Let's go get some food." I said then marched him away with Leafeon pouncing ahead of me, chasing after a butterfly with Turtwig and Pikachu following his lead, making me giggle softly again and take some photos of the three of them before Ambipom and Piplup joined in. I can't wait to print those off, they'll look adorable.

The next morning I sat back and relaxed as I watched Dawn practice her new performance move with Ambipom, the Rainbow Swift. It looked beautiful, where the light caught the stars as they burst against one another to create a rainbow light effect and it looked really amazing.

"That's so pretty, ha!" Dawn laughed happily then raced over to Ambipom, drawing out a poffin to give to her. "You earned this, so enjoy." She said then handed out poffins to each of her Pokémon. "Here you go. It's my way of thanking you for working so hard." Dawn told her Pokémon who all munched down on their favourite snack.

"I'll tell you, Rainbow Swift was great." Brock told her as he walked forwards with an impressed look.

"You sure gave it your all, didn't you?" Dawn said to Ambipom who smiled at her. "I've been thinking, we didn't do too well at the last contest because we got way too involved in double performances. But now it's just Ambipom and me and we're going to work on showing off one move as much as we can." Geez Dawn, you still don't get it, do you?

"No Dawn, that's not how you should be thinking." I said with a sigh, standing up and walked over with Leafeon. "In a Pokémon Contest, it's not the move that matters at all. It's your _Pokémon_. They're the star of the show and every move they make has to show off their appeal." I explained to her for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Huh? What do you mean? Didn't we just do that?" Dawn questioned and I shrugged.

"Sure, your moves looked pretty and they showed off Ambipom's skill, but you need to think about what makes Ambipom special." Turning I crouched before Ambipom and gave a smile. "Okay Ambipom, I want you to sit back a minute. I'm going to give Dawn a demonstration."

"Ambi? Ambipom!" She nodded then bounced away.

"Leafeon! Can I borrow you a sec?" I asked and Leafeon instantly bounded over to me as everyone stepped back to watch.

"Alright! We're going to see Ruby using her moves!" Ash cheered, standing with Pikachu and Turtwig as I took the stage.

"Okay Leafeon, you know what to do! Use Razor Leaf!" Instantly Leafeon shot multiple streams of leaves around him, letting them spiral around in a fluid motion. "Now Iron Tail!" Leaping up, Leafeon struck all the leaves individually with his Iron Tail attack, his tail glowing bright white and he summersaulted as he landed for extra grace. "Razor Leaf one more time Leafeon, let's go!" Leafeon began to bound around the area before the guys, letting off streams of leaves whilst showing off his agile elegance and speed. "Now to finish it up, use Grass Whistle!"

Turning his body at an angle Leafeon pressed his lips to the leaf of his tail and began to use it to make a whistle, singing softly as the leaves all drifted in the wind, spiralling and dancing around him simply yet efficiently as the guys all cheered.

"Yeah! Way to go Ruby!" Ash cheered.

"Pika Pika!"

"Turtwig!" I took a bow with Leafeon, accepting their applause before walking towards Dawn.

"You see Dawn? You don't always have to use moves to show off your Pokémon. See how Leafeon moved and made full use of the space to show off his speed? You can do that too with Ambipom. There's not a trick or flip Ambipom can't pull off, so make sure you remember to think about a Pokémon's personality as well as their showcase when you're showing them off to an audience." Dawn looked at me then to Ambipom who grinned up at her.

"So you're saying we should focus more on how the moves show off Ambipom?" She asked and I nodded my head.

"That's exactly right. Double Hit and Focus Punch are both powerful moves and the way you used Swift just now is a brilliant way to show off how beautiful Ambipom's coat is and how shiny it looks." Giving a sigh Dawn lowered her head.

"There's just so much to think about. It's almost impossible to get the perfect routine!" She said so Kenny gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't sweat it Dee-Dee, it comes with practice." That certainly snapped her out of her sad mood.

"Don't _ever_ call me Dee-Dee!" She yelled at him. "Come on guys, we've got a performance to prepare for." She said then walked off for some privacy whilst Ash and Brock joined me.

"Hey Ruby, you think she's going to do okay?" Ash asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know. All Dawn seems to think about is how her Pokémon look on the outside and how impressive the moves look. I think the only way she's going to find her own style is by learning the hard way." I said with a sad look. And by that, I meant by failing once again, which was exactly what Dawn did. She didn't even make it past the appeals round when she went overboard with the Swift, completely hiding Ambipom who was lost in all the stars, no matter how pretty it looked.

Unfortunately not even Kenny won the ribbon, it went to that horrible coordinator Jessalina with her Dustox, which was a shocker but oh well. You can't have everything. Anyway, after that I could tell Dawn was completely put out though she fooled the boys with a mask.

I found her standing on the balcony of our room late at night, watching the moon on her own so I got up from bed and joined her. For a while I said nothing, waiting for her to start talking if she wanted to, and sure enough I didn't have to wait long before she started to pour her worries out onto me. "I just can't seem to get the hang of this." She said finally.

"You'll get it." I assured her simply. "It takes time. I bet your mother wasn't always as good as she is now. Contests are something you've got to work hard at, you can't just be great from the very beginning." I shrugged at her but then she looked at me.

"But you won your first contest straight off, with your Jigglypuff. I remember you told me so." She said then lowered her head. "I'm just a failure."

"Stop it Dawn." I told her sharply, narrowing my eyes. "I don't want to hear that kind of attitude from you because it'll do no one any good." She blinked in surprise but nodded her head, sniffing slightly. "I won my first contest with Jigglypuff because she was very strong to begin with. Looking great is half the battle, you have to be close with your Pokémon to get stronger and Jigglypuff and I are tight fisted friends." I said, turning my gaze up to the moon. "So don't let it get you down. I've lost lots of contests in my travels around Hoenn, and those times I didn't have Ash or anyone to turn to for comfort, just my Pokémon."

"I guess you're right." Dawn said, lowering her head again. "But…it's just so hard. Losing I mean. If I can't get this right, then what's the point of it all?" I gave her smile.

"Isn't the answer obvious?" She shook her head so I sighed. "Dawn…you love contests. Your Pokémon love contests. _That's_ the point of it all. It's not about who wins or who loses, it's not even about the ribbon. It's all about getting out there and performing with everything you've got, showing the world how great your Pokémon are, and how you're so lucky to have them as partners." Giving a smile I pulled out a photo I kept with me at all times as it had every single one of my Pokémon in it. "I perform in contests because it makes my Pokémon happy, and when they're happy, there's nothing better in the universe." I handed it over to Dawn and she looked at it, using the moonlight to see the faces of all my Pokémon.

"I think I'm starting to get it now." She said, tracing a finger of Jigglypuff's face with a smile. "I keep on losing because I'm focusing too much on the audience and how the moves of my Pokémon look, and not paying attention to my Pokémon themselves. It's about showing off their qualities, like you said, what makes them special." Dawn handed back the photo then pulled out one of her with all her Pokémon. "Piplup's so brave and confident, Buneary is just so cute and loving, Pachirisu is energetic and a bundle of fun, and Ambipom…actually, I'm not too sure about Ambipom yet." She admitted so I smiled.

"And that's okay. You've only just started getting to know one another, which is partly why you didn't do so well today. I just want you to know that I know what you're going through, and I know it's hard, but some day, you'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. You'll be winning ribbons left right and centre." I gave her a victory sign with a wink. "So no need to worry, everything takes time, you just have to be patient!"

"You're totally right! From now on, I'm going to focus on getting to know my Pokémon better. Just like you." She said and I nodded my head.

"Sounds like a plan. Now, can we please get some sleep? I feel like my eyes are going to drop out of my skull." We both giggled before heading back to our beds and settled down, both feeling a little better for our little heart to heart talk.


	21. Chapter 21

On our way to Ash's next gym battle we stopped in a park within a city for a picnic, however Ash instantly began working on Turtwig's Energy Ball, practicing just like Kenny had taught them. It was looking good, though its aim was still a little rusty.

"Okay Turtwig, try hitting that tree there!" Ash called and Turtwig instantly took aim, though it quickly went off course as the ball formed and was fired.

"Wow. The Energy Ball's form looks right but its control needs a little more work." Dawn said as she chewed on a sandwich.

"That'll come with practice as Turtwig starts gaining experience with it." I said, taking a bite out of an apple and munched on it before lying backwards to relax. Something dark flit over my face and I frowned before opening my eyes to see an entire hoard of Gligar, led by a single Gliscor. What the…? What's going on? "Uh…guys?" I questioned and everybody looked around.

"Gliscor Gli!" The Gliscor suddenly dove at us and I leaped up, rolling out the way as the rest all followed. I'd only just landed on the ground when a Gligar snatched the apple out of my hand and took it away.

"Hey!"

"Look out!" Brock called and I dove to the ground, covering my head as a Gligar shot over me, nearly having knocked me over. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." I called back, getting to my feet then ran over to the others. Charizard was getting hacked off, roaring and starting to blast the thieving Pokémon with Flamethrower until I called out. "No Charizard! We're in a park, full of trees! You might set them on fire." I warned and he instantly stopped. "Return, everyone!" I called and Ponyta snorted as I summoned him back alongside Charizard and Leafeon. I went for Shieldon's Pokéball but then he charged forwards, ramming his head with a metallic gleam at one of the Gligar and sent it flying and it released its bounty of Shieldon's special food. "Wow, Shieldon, that was Iron Head." I said as I grabbed the can and quickly hid it in my bag. "Nice! We finally cracked it!" I praised, opening my arms and he jumped into them for a hug.

"Everybody okay?" Ash asked as he ran over.

"We're all fine." Dawn answered with a nod of her head. "But what are those Pokémon?"

"They're Gligar and Gliscor." Brock answered as he watched them carefully, dangling from the trees.

"Wow, I've got to see this."

"Gligar, the fly scorpion Pokémon. It glides using the membrane attached to its arms and legs, and attacks the face of its prey with its claws."

"Gliscor, the fang scorpion Pokémon and the evolved form of Gligar. It watches its prey as it hangs upside down from a branch and attacks from above when it sees its chance." I gulped slightly, leaning closer to whisper to Ash.

"Does it bother you how that's exactly what Gliscor is doing now? He doesn't think we're its prey, does it?"

"I shouldn't think so, with all that food they've stolen, they wouldn't need to eat seconds." Brock said as we all watched carefully, just to make sure. Gliscor ate on the two sandwiches it had stolen, instantly making me angry.

"Hey, that was ketchup! I made that specially for Pikachu!" I yelled at him then pointed. "Go Shieldon, Iron Head!" I called and Shieldon instantly leaped forwards with a cry.

"Shieldon! Shield…on!" He charged the tree, head shining with a metallic sheen before ramming the tree with all his might and just at that moment, an Ice Beam attack shot out of the blue, aimed for Gliscor but upon impact of Shieldon's head with the tree it was swung out of the way.

"It's Paul!" Ash yelled and I turned a glare on Paul as he pulled out another Pokémon.

"Murkrow use Haze!" He ordered but before anybody could blink, Gliscor must have used Screech because a hideous sound came from his mouth and another hoard of Gligar appeared, sailing on the winds that blew between the skyscrapers and with the distraction, the Gliscor escaped with his gang. Tough break, they'd stolen all our food!

Suddenly I spotted one Gligar still in the tree, holding an apple with a single bite taken out of it. "Hey that's mine! Give it back you thief!" I yelled, bolting forwards and climbing up into the branches. "If you don't hand back that apple, you'll be sorry!"

"Gli? Gligar!" It yelped then all in one gulp, swallowed the apple then winked with its tongue sticking out in a comical expression.

"Agh! No!" That little…I'll make him barf it back up! Nobody steals food from me and gets away with it! I tried to lunge for the Gligar but it leaped from the trees, however without an updraft to carry it, it tumbled to the ground and I winced slightly as it landed on Ash, flattening him to the ground.

"Get off of me!" He yelled and the Gligar squeaked, looking around as the Pokémon all glared before it began to panic, taking off and flying after its buddies.

"Well that's just great. Our food is all gone and we don't have the money to…AGH!" With my heart leaping to my throat as I gripped onto a branch which snapped, I tumbled down towards the ground, arms flailing as I broke another branch on my way down which failed to break my fall.

"Ruby! I'm coming!" Ash yelled and lunged forwards, scrambling to try and reach me but then I managed to snag a branch with one hand, yelping as I grazed my hand but then this too snapped. What is it with weak branches in this park? I'd climbed up easily enough, I didn't want to take the fast route down!

With a short fall, I'd expected to be saved a little pain, but surprisingly, I found I felt no pain at all. "Huh?" Blinking I opened my eyes and found myself to have been caught by Paul. I had instinctively gripped my hand, which was bleeding and had a splinter or two, but for now I didn't notice. The jerk had just caught me! AGAIN!

"You seriously need to stop being so clumsy all the time." He said, letting me go so that I dropped to my feet but then he noticed my hand. "And you should get someone to see that." He suggested as I glared at him.

"Who asked for your help or your opinion?" I demanded to know, drawing back from him as Brock took my hand and inspected it. Without a word he sat me down and began to clean it up, taking out the splinters. Paul rolled his eyes then looked up after where the Gliscor and Gligar had disappeared to.

"At least that Gliscor lives up to its reputation." He noted to himself as Ash and Dawn looked at him.

"So you're here to catch a Gliscor?" He asked but Paul merely turned his nose as usual.

"Stay out of my way. Got it?"

"Sure we do, you jerk faced pun-ow!" I squeaked, wincing as Brock put on some antiseptic which stung like crazy. Paul glanced back over his shoulder at my little whimper but then carried on walking as if he hadn't heard a thing. "I seriously need to stop falling off of stuff." I noted to myself. "I hate being the damsel in distress all the time."

"I thought it was romantic, like how prince charming comes to rescue his princess." Dawn said dreamily but we all gave her a single look that read it all. "Okay so Paul isn't your typical prince charming, but he still caught you! He made the effort, even though you were only a few feet off the ground he still helped you out." I rolled my eyes as Brock began to bandage my heavy scrape.

"Pikachu Pi?" Pikachu questioned softly, nuzzling my cheek gently as he sat on my shoulder, inspecting the wound.

"No need to worry Pikachu, I'll be right as rain in no time." I promised just as the screech of tyres sounded and we all looked up. Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny stepped out of the truck and walked over to us, instantly distracting Brock from his task as he leaped to his feet with a cry of happiness.

"Are you folks alright?" Jenny asked as she approached.

"Fine, except the Gligar and Gliscor got away with our lunch." Dawn revealed and Nurse Joy hung her head.

"It looks like they've done it once again."

"And we weren't in time once again." Jenny answered as Brock abandoned me and my bandage to kneel before the two pretty ladies.

"On the contrary, your timing is perfect! My heart was feeling empty, but now it feels full again, all because of you!" Just then Croagunk appeared and stabbed Brock with Poison Jab, making him cry out as I tried to fix the bandage on my own. "Of course…I'm feeling…other things…as well…" He groaned before collapsing to the ground.

"Good shot Croagunk." I said with a firm nod of my head.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said, reaching out and held down the bandage for me as I wrapped it myself, giving him a grateful smile before he tied it off securely. "Pikachu!"

"Thanks Pikachu, that's perfect. You'd make a great doctor." I told him with a smile, lifting him up onto my shoulder and he hitched a ride as I walked over to the others. We were taken back to the Pokémon Centre for some proper lunch where Officer Jenny explained how the Gliscor and Gligar had eaten all fruit and vegetables in the city and had now proceeded to taking food right out of people's hands.

She then went on to explain how Gliscor had been dragged in by a powerful storm and because of the skyscraper currents, it was unable to return to the forest and soon attracted all the other Gligar in the surrounding area. "But we've got a plan." She said, turning around to face us. "We're going to lure the Gliscor in with all its favourite kinds of fruit and hopefully, we can trap it and then relocate it back in the forest."

"Sounds great, I want to help!" Ash said, standing upright. "We'll all help out, right guys?"

"Sure we will." I said, leaning against the window as the others sat at the table. "It's the least we can do after you giving us such a nice lunch." Dawn giggled as I looked down at Shieldon. "You'd better take a rest buddy, this could get a little difficult." I said and he beamed up at me as I returned him to his Pokéball.

For this kind of work, I need Charizard. I broke off from the rest of the group who got into a group filled truck whilst I took to the sky with one of my oldest friends. "Okay Charizard, let's go!" I called, punching the air as I settled on his back and he rose up, powerful wings easily taking the air currents and we circled around the Gliscor and Gligar to make sure they got out of the city. "Stay steady, these winds are going to get pretty strong Charizard, it'll be great training for you to see what you can take." I said and Charizard grunted in agreement, following the Gligar at a distance.

Suddenly Team Rocket's balloon appeared, capturing all the Gligar and Gliscor in a see through container, making me gasp. "Those three, they never give up! Let's hit it Charizard!" He roared in answer and we swept forwards, flying through the air but just then, I noticed another Gligar land on top of the canister after Piplup and Pikachu's attacks did nothing to affect the case.

It pulled a face, winking and sticking out its tongue before snapping the cable with a single claw. "Uh oh, this is bad." I said as Gligar fell to the ground but when it hit Ash who'd run forwards to try and catch it, I shrugged. "Or maybe not. Okay Charizard, let's see your Fire Blast in action, get upwind from Team Rocket by circling around!" Charizard roared and I heard Team Rocket's cry of fear as he shot passed, causing their entire balloon to shake before he turned around and hit them with his Fire Blast, connecting directly with the balloon. "Bon voyage!" I yelled, punching the air victoriously as Team Rocket's balloon exploded, causing them to fly up into the air again.

"ARGH! WE'RE BLASTING OFF _AGAIN_!" They screamed and I rolled my eyes.

"Too bad they don't just stay away." Come on Charizard, let's land." I said and he turned for the ground, landed easily and I jumped off to meet the others. "Hey, what's going on?" I asked, looking up to see Gliscor and all the Gligar helping themselves to the food in the truck.

"The road's been blocked off and the air current has changed because of it. The Gligar can't get through." Dawn explained to me and I looked at the tall wall that stood in front of us. Charizard suddenly growled and clenched his fists. I guess we could try breaking it down, but it's a little too dangerous.

"No buddy, we can't risk it." I said, holding out my hand to stop him. "If that wall comes down wrong, it could hit another building, or even someone walking by on the other side. We'll have to find a way around it." So it was back to the drawing board. Reports came pouring in from all over the city of how the Gligar and Gliscor were wrecking havoc absolutely everywhere. We had little time but somehow we had to get those Pokémon back to the forest where they belonged.

"Let me think." Officer Jenny said as we all sat around a table together. "If we could somehow produce a current of air that carried them all out of the city then our problems would be solved." Suddenly Brock's head shot up.

"That's it! We'll use Gust!"

"Of course! We'll use our Pokémon to get them all on their way out of here." Ash said confidently then stood up as Nurse Joy worked out the schematics. "Okay, time for a talk."

"A talk?" Dawn questioned him. "To who?"

"Gliscor of course. I'll just explain to him that we're only trying to help then everything will be fine." He said and Pikachu lifted his arms brightly.

"Pikachu Pika!" He agreed before jumping up onto Ash's shoulder.

"But Ash, we've only got three Pokémon that can help us out. Staravia, Charizard and maybe Sudowoodo's Mimic." Dawn said as she stood up to follow Ash but I turned around.

"Don't be too sure! Remember up on the roof it's a Pokémon greenhouse, there's lots of Pokémon up there with wings who can use Gust. Butterfree, Beautifly…we just need their help then everything will be great! Let's go!" So with Ash leading the way we head off into the streets searching for Gliscor, however it was a Gligar we found first, and not just any Gligar.

"Gligar you okay?" Ash called out as we ran towards it. It turned around in surprise as we stopped before it before closing one eye and sticking out its tongue. No way! The same one _again_!

"I can't believe it's the same one."

"Yeah, you ate my apple!" I accused, folding my arms unhappily as Ash chuckled.

"Don't mind her, it's nice to see you again Gligar." Suddenly another draft picked up and Gligar used it to carry himself away down an alley away from us. "Hey! Where're you going now?!"

"Gliscor must be down there somewhere." Brock said so we all chased after Gligar, following it's lead. We turned down another alley only to find Paul standing with his Weavile and Electabuzz, but all were thrown back by Gliscor's X-Scissor attack and they landed in a heap. "Watch out, it's attacking again!" Brock warned and I streaked ahead.

As Gliscor hit with another X-Scissor attack before Paul could even sit upright, I flung out one hand and stood there with a wide stance side on, concentrating on my aura as I pushed it out and formed a protective barrier in front of Paul and his Pokémon as Gligar sailed overhead.

"Gliscor!" Ash called out, finally catching up as I lowered my hand and the barrier dropped as Paul turned a wide eyed expression around at me but I ignored him, walking past as Ash and the others stepped out in front of Paul to speak to Gliscor. "We want to help you get back to the forest! We're just trying to help!" Ash explained over the heavy wind that whipped around us. "You come with us." He invited and for a moment, I saw Gliscor consider our offer but then a double hit of Thunderbolt and Ice Beam struck him, doing considerable damage and he fell to the ground.

"Gliscor no!" I yelled, running forwards and placed my hands on him, trying to shake him gently awake. "Are you alright?" I turned a glare at Paul but before I could do anything, he'd finished his capture.

"Now go Pokéball!" Gliscor disappeared into the Pokéball and it trembled on the ground, red light flashing before finally it clicked shut. I stared down at it with wide eyes until Paul picked it up and scanned it. "This Gliscor might be useful to me." He murmured quietly before pocketing it.

"You…you…JERK!" I yelled in his face, leaping to my feet. "The Gligar need Gliscor to lead them back to the forest!" Our friend Gligar suddenly dived down, aiming straight for Paul with a determined expression, probably to free it's leader.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch." Paul said without even blinking so without even breaking my glare, I flung out a hand and created a barrier before me, stopping Thunder Punch in its tracks as it hammered once against my wall, protecting Gligar who had stopped upon seeing the blockade however the attack didn't even make contact, so he was safe.

My eyes remained hotly on Paul and he too didn't look away, challenging me without even saying a word. He returned his Pokémon and I dropped the shield, taking a deep breath as I felt my legs weaken a little, but I clenched my fist tightly. "Have this, it's a Ruby Punch!" I snarled at him then swung my fist, putting all my anger behind it and successfully hit Paul straight in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and he bit back a curse as his hand jumped to his face, covering his eyes where no doubt there would be a black mark by tomorrow. "That was for Chimchar too, you know." I said, cracking my knuckles threateningly as I took a step forwards. "Now get out of here, I don't want to ever see you again!"

Paul glared at me before turning around, walking away without even saying anything. "Wow…Ruby…I know you always say you'd punch him, but I never thought you'd actually do it." Dawn said as I turned around.

"I'm always serious. Now, what about these Gligar?" They were flying around without control, none of them having a clue as to what they should do next.

"Now that Gliscor's been captured, they don't know what to do!" Brock said.

"We need to get them back to the Pokémon Centre and fast!" Ash said as the Gligar continued to fly around in circles.

"Then leave that to me." I said, pulling out my flute with a twirl then tossed a Pokéball into the air as I ran out the alley. "Charizard, I choose you!" He spread his wings and roared as I ran up his tail then jumped up onto his back. "We'll play follow the leader, take us to the Pokémon Centre." I said then began to play. The Gligar all turned to listen and as Charizard moved off, they followed after us, drawn in by the sound of my playing as the wind carried it around and Gligar from all over the city began to fly towards us.

The glass roof on top of the Pokémon centre opened and I spotted all the Pokémon ready to go, so I guided Charizard in and he landed as I stopped playing and the Gligar all attached themselves to trees. "Okay everybody, use Gust!" Nurse Joy called and instantly all the Pokémon began to flap their wings and Charizard helped out, using the strength in his wings to add some extra oomph before all the Gligar were sailing across the sky and towards the forest beyond.

"Alright, it worked!" I cheered as the gang made it up the elevator.

"They'll be back in the forest in no time." Nurse Joy said as we watched them all disappear.

"Hey look, our friend's still here." Dawn said so Ash smirked.

"Okay Turtwig, use Energy Ball, focus your mind and your strength and you'll get it!" He said and Turtwig instantly began to power up, taking his time before launching his Energy Ball directly at the tree Gligar was hanging out in. "Direct hit!" Ash cheered as I chuckled, sitting happily on Charizard's shoulder as the last of the Gligar were blown away. "Bye Gligar! Hurry home!"

"And please, stay home!" Dawn added as we all waved.

"Well that's a relief. Now we can rest easy." Jenny said with a sigh as the last of the Gligar sailed on the wind that the Pokémon had made for them, but something made me squint into the distance as I spotted it moving closer.

"Uh…I wouldn't be too sure about that. Heads up Ash, Gligar at twelve o clock." I warned and Ash blinked before looking up at the sky. WHAM!

"Agh! Where'd you learn how to fly?" Ash yelled as our friend Gligar came back, crash landing on Ash for a cushion though I don't think Ash appreciated it much. Oh well, at least I caught it on camera! Have to love this thing.

"Gligar, why didn't you go with all your friends?" Dawn asked and Gligar pulled his signature face whilst looking up at Ash. I have to admit, it looks pretty darn adorable.

"I'll tell you what I think. I think Gligar likes Ash." Brock said and Ash looked down at Gligar.

"Really? Is that true Gligar?" He asked and Gligar closed both eyes, making its sticking out tongue smile look even cuter than before. "Then you can come with us! Let's go Pokéball!" He called and flung a Pokéball at Gligar, capturing him swiftly and I smiled as I leaned against Charizard's long neck.

"You know buddy, I love travelling." I sighed as he turned to look at me. "The fun just never seems to end."


	22. Chapter 22

After a few more days of travelling, we finally made it to Vailstone City. It was a large and quite beautiful looking place, and from our vantage point we could see everything. Chimchar was perched on my head however he oohed in awe as he looked out over the valley, taking his time to view the picturesque valley before him. "We're finally here!" Ash cheered but just then, a large blue sphere came shooting towards us.

"Look out!" I yelled at everyone and instantly held out a hand, forming a shield around us and the sphere bounced off harmlessly and I smirked. "Hey, I've really got the hang of this shield thing. I didn't feel that hit at all!"

"What was it?" Dawn asked and I spun around excitedly.

"It was an Aura Sphere, you know that that means?!" I squealed, jumping up and down with excitement, jostling Chimchar slightly. "It means there's a LUCARIO AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE!" I yelled then shot off, running as fast as I could, startling Chimchar. "AND I'M GOING TO FIND IT!"

"Chimchaaaaaaaaar!" He clung onto me for dear life so I quickly grabbed him into my arms and looped him over my shoulder so that he had a better hold of me and my backpack, clinging on securely as I disappeared from sight.

"Ruby wait!" Brock yelled but I was too busy running to stop and chat. Those spheres were coming out of a grove of trees left right and centre, and I want to find the culprit because if it's a wild one, then I want it!

We ran into the city and soon found ourselves running alongside a fence, but with one blast part of it was blown away and we stopped to see a girl training with her Lucario. Dang it! It's not wild! Too bad, it looks like a super strong Lucario.

"It's a Lucario!" Ash said as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Lucario, the aura Pokémon and the evolved form of Riolu. By sensing the aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements." Just then Lucario hit the girl with an Aura Sphere which she deflected with a round house kick. Impressive, I wish I could train that way! It looks fun!

"Check out how she's deflecting those Aura Spheres!" Ash said as I just stared in awe.

"Aura Spheres?" Dawn questioned so Brock turned to her.

"It's a mysterious power some say everyone has, but it's stronger in some people than in others. Like Ruby, she can use aura just like when she used it to block the attacks with her shield." He explained but as I watched, I began to sense great anger. Anger from Lucario.

He used Bone Rush, aiming directly for his trainer and she dodged the first two attacks but by that time, I was leaping over the fence and running towards them. "Please, let's stop Lucario!" The trainer pleaded but as he aimed to strike down a third time, I skidded to a halt between her and lifted my hand, Chimchar squeaking and hiding behind my back for cover as I faced the angered Lucario.

"Stop!" I cried out and as the Bone Rush struck, my protective barrier formed around myself and the girl behind me, protecting us from the hit. Shocked and completely baffled, Lucario stepped back as his attack disappeared, staring at me as I gently slid my hands aside to cancel my shield. "You are angry. Why?" I asked and Lucario grunted hotly, shooting a look at his trainer.

Instantly I began to hear and see thoughts in my mind, ones that Lucario shared with me. I saw none other than Paul standing against Lucario with a Magmar, defeating Lucario almost too easily and how he'd scoffed at the easiness of the win. "I understand." I said to Lucario, my eyes closed as I reached out to him with a calming aura and smiled softly when it affected him, bringing down his temper. "Your pride has been hurt, but hurting others won't bring it back. You must work _together_ if you are to become stronger."

Suddenly I heard Pikachu, Piplup and another Pokémon brawling just a few feet away from us and the guys all cried out as they were hit with a stray Thunderbolt. "Great. Perfect timing." I scowled but then Lucario lifted a hand and blasted the three of them with an Aura Sphere, causing a large explosion which forced the fighting to stop.

"Oh no!" The girl said before running over. "I'm so sorry. Lucario, that was way too much, say you're sorry." She ordered as I walked over to see the culprit was an Electabuzz. So he'd started the fight. Wait, don't I know that Electabuzz? It's aura feels familiar. "Huh? What do you mean it was nothing?" She said as her Lucario refused to apologise.

"Maylene! Is everything okay? What happened?" A man's voice called out as he ran over, wearing an apron over his clothes.

"Oh, hi Reggie." Maylene said and Electabuzz panicked before trying to creep away but Reggie turned his eyes on him.

"And where're you going Electabuzz?" He asked slowly, arching an eyebrow. Wait a second, this guy looks familiar too. What is going on here?! Why does everyone look familiar?!

"Hey Pikachu, don't you think that looks like Paul's Electabuzz?" Ash questioned as I walked over and scrutinised it carefully.

"It certainly has the same aura." I said. "Sparky, tangy and sharp. Kinda hurts to stand too close." I said, folding my arms and looking away.

"That must mean you know Paul." Reggie said then looked down at Pikachu. "Oh! And this must be the Pikachu that can use Volt Tackle. That's why Electabuzz was giving you grief. I'm Reggie, you've met my brother." I knew he looked familiar! He and Paul practically have the same hair and their faces look similar. Though Reggie's was longer. Hair, not face.

"What?! You're Paul's older brother?!" Ash said but then Reggie turned to me.

"And you must be the famous Ruby Bates. Paul's told me a lot about you." He said with a chuckle. "Unfortunately not all good things, but I tend not to believe him when he's being rude about someone." I smiled and folded my arms.

"Well I like you better than your brother already." I informed and he smiled further as Chimchar appeared from behind me, peaking out as he recognised Reggie's voice.

"Chimchar?" He questioned then straightened up a little with a smile. "Chimchar Chim!"

"Hey there little Chimchar, so this is where you wound up." Reggie said kindly with a warm smile. "I'm glad you're getting treated well by these people, is Ruby you're new trainer?" He asked and Chimchar nodded his head enthusiastically, though I quickly explained that Ash and I were sharing responsibility for Chimchar as he couldn't decide who he preferred as a trainer.

"I see, well that does make sense. So long as you take good care of this little guy then I don't really mind who looks after him. He deserves someone to properly appreciate all the potential he has to give." Reggie mused before smiling at me mischievously. "You're the one who gave him that black eye, weren't you?" Slightly guilty, I rubbed the back of my head.

"Yeah…did he tell you about that?"

"Are you kidding? Of course not! He'd never admit he got beaten up by a girl, you're just the kind of person that looks like they'd take a swing at anyone as irritating as my brother." He answered and I wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Wait, wait, so if you're Paul's big brother, then what is his Electabuzz doing here?" Ash asked Reggie.

"Well I'm a breeder, so Paul leaves his Pokémon with me for a bit of extra training." That all cleared up, Ash instantly moved on.

"Well my name is Ash and I came here to challenge the Vailstone gym. So has Paul had a battle over there yet?" Ash questioned and Reggie nodded his head.

"Yeah he won. He defeated her." Everyone looked at Maylene who instantly lowered her head in shame.

"Wow, she's the gym leader?"

"That's right, so why don't you go on over and say hi?" Reggie suggested and Ash instantly spun around.

"Awesome! Wow and you've even got a Lucario. I can't wait to battle you." Ash said but Maylene gave him a sad smile.

"Sorry, but would you mind going to some other gym instead?" She asked but then saw Lucario holding an Aura Sphere directly at her. When he released it, it shattered against a protective wall that stood between him and Maylene. Lucario blinked then looked at me as I held up my hand, glaring at him.

"That's not very nice you know. You can't just blast someone with aura just because they're feeling a little run down." I said angrily, lowering my hand and the shield dropped beside Maylene who stopped her tensed figure which she'd adopted when she thought she was going to get blasted.

"You see, Lucario has been pushing Maylene really hard like this all day long." Reggie explained as Lucario and I had a stare down. "Lucario isn't happy with Maylene as a battle partner yet."

"What about all those Aura Spheres we saw?" Dawn asked.

"That must have been Lucario training the trainer." Brock answered as I continued to glare at Lucario, not caring that my eyes were watering from not blinking for so long. Finally Lucario looked away and I lifted myself up as some black belts arrived.

"It's because of Paul, isn't it?" I asked and both Reggie and Maylene looked at me in surprise.

"How could you…how did you…?"

"You feel ashamed about how easily he won against you with his Honchkrow and Magmar, defeating your Meditite, Machoke and Lucario in no time at all. You feel like a failure because you lost and now you refuse to go back because if you do, you think you'll only continue to get worse." I began, closing my eyes as I connected through aura to both Lucario and Maylene. "You were out of sync with all your Pokémon, which led to you not being as strong as you could be but you need to understand that it's not your fault. The pressure of being a new gym leader is normal and something you shouldn't back down from. You should think of this as a challenge, one that you'll overcome _alongside_ your Pokémon and not on your own like you feel."

I heard Maylene gasp as I practically hit it on the nail. Opening my eyes I turned around and faced her. "You may have lost the battle against Paul, but that shouldn't slow you down. You've been so focused on training with your Pokémon trying to become tough like the other students want you to that you've forgotten what it's like to have fun whilst battling. You're out of sync because you're not enjoying spending time with your Pokémon for the sake of their company rather than training all the time and that's put you down. Teamwork is about being together, not standing alone. Maylene, you need to get your head out from the ground and start focusing on the here and now and not what some stuck up little punk said to you." It was brutal and cold, but it needed to be said. Maylene looked away with tears in her eyes and I took a deep breath, keeping a strict face.

"I…I appreciate all you've done for me, especially you Lucario but…I'm sorry!" She burst out and ran from where we stood and Lucario tried to go after her but she yelled back over her shoulder. "Just stay away!"

"Ruby, wasn't that a bit harsh?" Brock said and I nodded my head.

"Yes." I agreed. "But it needed to be said. It's all part of the process of healing. Maylene needs to hear exactly what happened from someone else, someone who can look at the situation from the outside and tell her exactly how she feels, even if it does make her feel awful." I then turned around and smiled at Dawn. "But then comes the empathy. Dawn, I think you would be the best person to talk to Maylene right now. You understand how she feels, don't you?"

"Sure I do." She said, stepping forwards. "Lucario, do you know where Maylene would be?" She asked and Lucario nodded with a smile, glad that someone was there to help. After all, we girls stick together. "Come on Piplup, I want you to come too." She called then ran after Lucario with Piplup hot on her heels.

"I don't get it." Ash said, scratching his head so I whacked him.

"Of course you wouldn't, genius. You're as dense as they come." I told him sharply before folding my arms. "Good thing Dawn and I are here Mr Insensitive." Shaking my head I smiled at Chimchar and tickled him under the chin as he sat down. "Come on buddy, I think it's just about dinner time." I said but then Reggie gestured with his thumb behind him after dealing with the black belts who had previously demanded Maylene return to the gym.

"You can crash at my place. There's plenty of room, come on." His place sure had plenty of room, there was a kitchen full of food for numerous Pokémon. Chimchar even hopped off my shoulder and said hi to some old friends of his, making me smile as we sat down on the sofa and Reggie fixed us up with a drink and a snack for the Pokémon.

"Maylene and Lucario used to be a famous fighting duo here in Vailstone City, when she became gym leader, it was all anybody could talk about." Reggie said as I looked over some photos. I was surprised to see Paul as a kid, especially since he was _smiling_ in some of the younger ones but as he grew older, that cold unfeeling expression seemed to settle in place until it was unmistakable. "Hey Ruby, so you're an aura guardian, right?" Reggie asked and I turned my head.

"Yup. Still in training. I came to Sinnoh looking for a Riolu or Lucario of my own." I said, walking back over. "Ever since I've focused my abilities, something's been drawing me to this region and I just can't help but feel its an aura Pokémon just for me."

"Well that's great, I hope you find them." He said then looked down at Chimchar. "Let's have a proper look at you now, Chimchar. How have you been?" He asked, rubbing Chimchar's head as he munched happily away on his food. "You're looking great, better than I've ever seen you before."

"It's all the baths I give him." I said with a smirk. "And my special ingredient shampoo. Guaranteed to make your Pokémon's fur shine!" I joked as Chimchar beamed up at me and I gave him a wink.

"I can see, it's made a huge difference." Reggie complimented before standing up and turning around. "So Ash, I'm sure my brother must have really put you through the mill with all those intense battling strategies he always comes up with."

"I don't care about any of that. The most important thing to win in a battle is to be one with your Pokémon. Argh, I'll beat that guy…" Ash said as he clenched his glass tightly so I whacked the back of his head gently.

"Cool it genius before you break the glass." I said before turning to Reggie. "Let's just say we've had our differences of opinion about training Pokémon." Draining the last of my juice I smiled at Chimchar who jumped up onto my shoulder then began to play with my hair, bunching it up and combing through it curiously as Reggie watched us.

"So who trains Chimchar now? Ruby or Ash?"

"We both do." Ash said with a smile. "Chimchar here couldn't decide who he liked better, so we're both training him as well as sharing the responsibilities." Reggie arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"And that works? Both of you training him? Don't you have any conflict over the best way to train or anything?" I looked at Ash then shook my head.

"Not really. Ash does most of the training whilst I provide the sensitivity, we work together to bring out the best in Chimchar, isn't that right little buddy?"

"Chimchar!" He agreed, smiling broadly and I rubbed his cheek affectionately as I chuckled. Reggie and Ash talked for a while with Brock before Reggie requested a battle, wanting to find out for himself how tough Paul's rival was so we head outside.

I sat with Chimchar on my lap on the steps of the house to watch as Brock took the spot of referee but then, Dawn and Maylene came back. "Hey guys, you're just in time!" I called with a wave, smiling at them all. "Ash and Reggie are about to have a battle, come and watch!"

"Sure!" Dawn said and Maylene blinked.

"Oh…okay." She said then sat next to me. I glanced over at her then sighed.

"Listen, I'm sorry for what I said. It was a little brutal I know, so I'm sorry for that." I apologised to her but Maylene gave me a smile.

"Don't be. Everyone's been trying to cheer me up for days with fake promises that I'll do better and tried to butter me up. To hear it put bluntly the way you said it did a world of good." She assured me so I gave her a bright smile before turning to watch the battle.

"Alright Gligar, come on out!" Ash called but Gligar instantly dropped from the sky with a yell, scrambling his arms and legs to try and flap but failed to find any thermals to lift him up, so he went crashing into Ash who yelled at Gligar's tight grip. When Gligar jumped off, Ash turned around to face him. "Now Gligar, I'm going to have a Pokémon battle with Reggie, and I want you to watch because pretty soon I'll be wanting to team up with you in a battle too!" He said and Gligar gave his trademark look before Ash turned around. "Turtwig, I choose you!"

"Bibarel, you're up!" Reggie called and his Pokémon appeared, tail standing bolt upright. "You have the honour Ash." Reggie invited and Ash didn't waste any time in calling out his first move.

"Okay, Turtwig Energy Ball!" Turtwig stored up energy, gathering a pretty ball before his mouth then shot it towards Bibarel as Reggie stood unfazed. "Check out that speed, and that power too!" Ash praised as the ball went straight for Bibarel.

"Use Super Fang!" Reggie ordered and Bibarel chomped down on the Energy Ball, crushing it into streams of light that flashed passed it. Wow. Now that's strength. "Secret Power." Reggie said and instantly the grass around began to glow, rising up in aromatic wafts which put Turtwig straight to sleep.

"Turtwig's out cold!" Dawn gasped, leaning forwards in her seat.

"Secret Power is a move that changes depending on the field. This is a very grassy area so it put Turtwig to sleep." Brock explained and I turned back to the battle as Reggie called out his next move.

"Now use Take Down!" Bibarel charged into Turtwig, flinging him backwards but the force of the hit seemed to have been exactly what Turtwig needed as he woke up in a flash. "Turtwig's awake already? Super Fang go!" Reggie called and Bibarel launched itself at Turtwig, who only moved at the last second then hit with Razor Leaf. "Wow Ash, I like the way your Turtwig moves!" Reggie complimented and Ash grinned.

"Thanks a lot Reggie, that move came from watching Gardenia and her Turtwig at the Eterna gym." Ash explained as the two Pokémon faced one another. "Energy Ball once more!"

"Ice Beam Bibarel!" Reggie called but Turtwig dodged by jumping at Ash's command, still powering up his Energy Ball before striking out Bibarel with a massive explosion. I smiled as Bibarel was returned and Reggie praised his Pokémon's efforts. Definitely not like his brother. "Your Turtwig sure is strong Ash!"

"Thanks for the compliment." Ash smiled as he raised his arm to stop Turtwig from biting down on his head, letting him have his arm instead. "Awesome battle Turtwig, you've really got the hang of that Energy Ball." He said proudly to Turtwig who was a picture of joy.

After another amazing battle between Staravia and Swalot, and then Reggie's Staraptor against Pikachu, Ash won with two victories to one. We all cheered for Ash as Reggie complimented Ash on his skills and his Staravia and offered to teach her a new move, Brave Bird, which Ash was all too eager to try out.

"Hey Maylene, how about having that battle with Ash now?" Reggie suggested but then Dawn surprised us all.

"Now hold on a minute! I asked Maylene for a battle first." She announced, placing her hands on her hips and we all looked at her in surprise. Ash's jaw dropped and Brock was looking at Dawn as if she'd completely lost it, but then Maylene stood up with a smile.

"Actually Dawn, would you mind if we had our battle tomorrow? I just need a little time to get myself prepared. I'll be waiting at the gym." She asked and Lucario glanced at her before looking back at Dawn as she turned around.

"Of course! Tomorrow it is." She affirmed and I gave Dawn a smile as Maylene walked away after saying goodbye.

"I knew you could do it." I told her and she gave me a thumbs up.

"Anything to help break Maylene out of her shell." She agreed. We were all given a place to stay at Reggie's that night and I helped him take care of the Pokémon, though Electabuzz thought it was funny when he shocked me with his static and made my right arm go completely numb.

"Hey! That wasn't nice!" I scowled at the bully who merely hissed with laughter but when Reggie appeared, all amusement vanished and he tried putting on an innocent face.

"What have I told you? You have to treat guests nicely. For that, you can help clean the garden tomorrow of all the leaves." Reggie informed and Electabuzz sighed, hanging his head before moving off with a grumble. "So Ruby, Ash tells me you have a Charizard." Reggie said as I washed the dishes for him.

"That's right. I raised him from a Charmander as my first Pokémon." I explained then looked to the charm bracelet on my wrist. I now wore two just to make things a little less crowded, but both of them clinked softly with every charm that was one of my Pokémon. "I have all of these Pokémon, see?" I lifted it up for him to see and he scanned it quickly. "And I have a photo right here." It was a little crinkled from being carried around so much but the picture was still in perfect condition and Reggie looked over all of my Pokémon.

"They all look so strong. You've done a great job raising them." He said with a smile on his face. "And they all look so happy to be with you."

"I only ever capture a Pokémon if they want to be with me." I explained as I finished the last plate. "I find it hard to just go out there and catch a Pokémon, I prefer establishing connections to the Pokémon before capture so that we're closer when we do start training together. The only exception is my Scyther, who I captured for a competition but when I offered to release him, he didn't want to go so I kept him and we're just as close."

"That's really great Ruby. You know Paul still wants that rematch, he's not too happy you swept him with just a little Eevee. What he really wants is to go up against your Charizard in a one on one." Reggie told me and I snorted slightly.

"He beat me in a tag battle, doesn't that count?"

"He doesn't think so. He prefers winning on his own. He told me all about how your Charizard withstood several Thunder attacks and then twice more with a double hit with both Electabuzz and Chimchar." Reggie looked to my proud Charizard in the photo. "I'd like to meet him."

"I'm sure I could introduce you." I said with a smile as I dried off my hands. "I do have one question though, about Paul." Reggie arched an eyebrow then smiled.

"Is it about how mean he is to everybody and why he's so tough on his Pokémon?" I nodded my head simply. "Well you see, we had a tough father who was practically born and raised in the military. Everything was routine and orderly, we woke up at five thirty every morning and had to be in bed by nine. No matter how hard we tried, we were just never tough enough for him." Reggie explained as he mixed some Pokémon food. "I wanted to be a breeder, but dad wanted us both to follow him into the military, first sending me out on a Pokémon journey to toughen me up a little more. He used to beat us if we did something wrong, and sometimes just because we were around when he was in a bad mood." My eyes widened.

"That's horrible! What about your mother?"

"She died when Paul was young. He doesn't remember her. I think that may have been the breaking point for my father, he was never the same after. He became the cruel, twisted guy he is now after mom passed away, and it rubbed off on Paul. All he ever wanted to do was make his dad proud, which is why he's so tough on his Pokémon." That's right. Just like a military camp. Everything was work, work, work and train until you dropped. "And when he never succeeded, Paul just stopped being the kid he once was. Stopped being nice, stopped caring about anyone and now, he's almost exactly like our dad." Reggie sighed, sitting down and holding his head in his hands. "I worry for him."

"No kidding." I answered, sitting down at the table with him. "Not meaning to offend you, but it sounds like you had a really messed up childhood."

"It affected Paul the worst, being so young. I was old enough to remember the good times, but not Paul. The moment I turned eighteen, I walked out and took Paul with me, but the damage had already been done, and there's no going back." Reggie looked so tired in that moment, worn out from years of hard work and I sympathised with the guy.

"It's never too late to change." I said finally, having thought about the best thing to say and it appeared I had chosen right, because Reggie lifted his head.

"You think so?"

"Sure I do. You should have met Charizard when I first got him. He was mean and grumpy and was always hurting me. I've still got the scars to prove it." I rolled back one of my sleeves to show a bite mark made from silvery lines that had never really faded away. "But I worked hard to get him to like me. I never gave up." I paused. "Well, I had a few down moments, but the point is I kept trying. I showed him affection, helped him to grow and eventually, he came to trust me, and after he fell sick and I nursed him myself then saved his life, he came to love me back." I told Reggie then briefly went over the whole story of how Charizard wanted nothing to do with me and only wanted to go home, so I'd made a deal with him to take him back to Cinnabar Island. I told Reggie about all the adventures we'd had in between which brought us closer, including the time I'd sort of borrowed Ash's Pokémon to battle those gang members and how Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon just to protect us all.

When I was finished, Reggie digested all the information and sat back, thinking about it carefully. "You'd never guess Charizard used to be so different if you saw him now." I said, passing him a cup of coffee I'd made for him. "And I'm sure Paul can change too, if you just don't give up on him."

"You're right." Reggie said then chuckled. "How old are you, thirteen? Fourteen?" I nodded my head.

"Almost fifteen." He laughed again.

"And yet you've spoken more sense than all my therapists put together. Thank you Ruby." I gave him a victory sign and a wink.

"No problem! It's what I'm here for." I answered. I spent the rest of the day with Dawn helping her to tweak her style into battling mode more than contest, helping her work on strength and power rather than appeal. What she didn't expect, however, was to go up against me and not one of my Pokémon. "But you'll get hurt!"

"Come on Dawn, you're challenging a fighting type gym and I'm trained in the art! It'll be good practice for your Pokémon." I told her, taking on a battle stance. "Now hit me with everything you've got!" Dawn wasn't too sure but she nodded her head.

"Okay…Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Buneary instantly fired a beam of ice straight at me so I leaped back in a dodge, turning onto my hands then landed on my feet again. Now this is how you should train. It's so much fun! "Now use Bounce!" Bounce was technically a flying type move, so it should have great effect against fighting type Pokémon. We battled and trained together just like that, me avoiding hits and Dawn getting used to working against a warrior rather than another contest contestant.

When the day was through, I was more tired than I'd ever felt before but still, it felt good. It's been a long time since I've trained like that. "Hey Ruby, you look exhausted." Reggie said to me as I stepped inside, ready for bed.

"It's how I feel too. I'm going to sleep well tonight. You might need to throw water on me tomorrow to wake me up in time for Dawn's battle." I joked then looked to the screen Reggie was sitting at, seeing it was flashing. When he answered it, I tensed in place when Paul's face came on screen.

"I need Weavile. Send it over." He ordered bluntly but then looked over Reggie's shoulder to see me standing there. "What's _she_ doing there?!" He demanded and Reggie gave a laugh.

"I let Ruby and her friends crash here for the night since the Pokémon centre is full." He answered. Paul and I glared at one another for a moment longer before I turned and walked away.

"Goodnight Reggie, see you tomorrow." I called over my shoulder before heading to the sofa which I had claimed for my bed then crashed out without another word.


	23. Chapter 23

The battle between Dawn and Maylene had been great, but admittedly it was nothing compared to the battle with Ash. Buizel was so great! Learning a new move in the middle of the last battle between him and Lucario. Water Pulse sure helped them out, but the battle ended in a tie due to neither side wanting to give in.

The decision was left to the gym leader about what happened to the badge, and because Maylene had her confidence back thanks to two great battles, she awarded Ash with the Cobble Badge which he was totally proud of.

As a reward Reggie took us out in the evening and showed us the Vailstone City landmark. "Since you're all leaving bright and early tomorrow, I wanted you guys to see this tonight." He explained as we stood before a field of soft glowing rocks which people had gathered to see.

"City landmarks huh? You mean those bunch of rocks?" Ash questioned and I whacked the back of his head, flooring him.

"Those aren't just rocks, genius, they're meteorites." I told him. "Right Reggie?"

"Right, exactly." He agreed and the Pokémon all jumped forwards to get a closer look at the meteorites. Pikachu, Piplup and Shieldon all ran off to the closest one and I followed to keep an eye on them.

"Looks amazing doesn't it guys?" I question and they all turned their faces up to me.

"Pika Pika!"

"Piplup Pip."

"Shieldon!" They all agreed and I chuckled as Pikachu climbed up to sit on my shoulder, peering over at a higher vantage point. Once we'd finished aweing at the meteorites we returned to the Pokémon Centre where Ash started cleaning his new badge, as was his habit.

What concerned him, however, was how he hadn't won the badge fair and square. "Ash, you should know better than anyone that winning is not all there is to Pokémon battles." I said to him as I took the seat to his left. "It's about the strength and skill of both trainer and Pokémon, and how they work together against their opponents. Maylene saw how close you were with all your Pokémon and saw you as worthy to receive the badge."

"I guess you're right." He said before looking up with a brighter expression. "Hey Dawn, what's going on with your next contest?" Dawn blinked then gave a slightly forced smile.

"Oh Ash, you'll never guess! We're working on a brand new combination!" She lied though I didn't say anything about it. Hey, I'm an aura guardian. I can tell when someone is lying. I'd just about finished my juice when a bright pillar of light rose up like a shot from a distant hill, causing us all to spin around and stare. "What's that?!" Dawn yelped, jumping backwards as Ash and I leaned forwards, speaking in unison.

"That's weird." Then as quickly as it had come, it was gone. "Definitely weird." Suddenly the TV screens in the centre blacked out, fizzing as their connection went funny and everyone began to panic. "Come on, let's go see Nurse Joy." I said and we all ran over to her.

"Nurse Joy! What happened?" Brock asked and she looked up with a worried expression.

"Something's gone terribly wrong with all our medical equipment and it's affecting the recovery of the Pokémon!" If I find out it's Team Rocket making all this mess, I'll clobber them.

"What?!"

"And you don't know why?" Dan questioned just before a voice called out from behind us.

"Nurse Joy!" Maylene and Lucario came racing inside and stopped before us, fists clenched tightly. "Lucario and I sensed something was wrong so we came as quickly as we could. We've got to figure this out and fast." I agree, let's go.

"How about we head over to where we saw that light?" I suggested, pointing to the hills. "Maybe that'll give us some answers."

"Right, let's go!" Ash said and we ran all the way there with Maylene and Lucario.

"Did you contact Officer Jenny?" Brock asked as we ran.

"The phones are dead, so I sent Connolly as messenger." Maylene replied as Ash spotted several helicopters hovering above the meteorite field.

"Look! Those helicopters have been hanging around here all day long." We ran to the hill, not stopping until we stood before an interesting scene. The meteorites were gone, taken from their places in the ground with a bunch of weirdly dressed people standing around and Team Rocket in a heap on the ground. "It's Team Rocket!"

"But where are the meteorites?" Maylene asked, seeing that they'd been stolen.

"And who are they?" Dawn demanded to know, glaring ahead as I answered.

"Team Galactic. I've come across them before." I told her, stepping forwards. "They're as bad as Team Rocket, worse even since they actually have a brain cell between them."

"Hey! I reject that comment!" Jessie yelled at me. "We do too have more than one brain cell!"

"Yeah, it's all mine!" Meowth growled as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"What about that Pokémon?" Ash questioned, taking out his Pokédex to see what it was.

"Toxicroak, the toxic mouth Pokémon and the evolved form of Croagunk. The poison produced in its sacks is carried through tubes to its arms to its knuckle claws." That's pretty intense. Wouldn't want to get into a fist fight with that Pokémon.

"Fashion freaks or not, those guys stole our meteorites and they're no friends of ours!" Meowth yelled as Dawn arched an eyebrow.

"Fashion? Since when?" I have to agree. Those outfits and haircuts were a little…strict.

"So what are you guys up to?" I demanded to know but their ring leader merely smirked.

"Toxicroak, Dark Pulse." He ordered and instantly Toxicroak launched a stream of dark purple energy at us but Maylene was quick to counter.

"Aura Sphere Lucario!" Lucario jumped ahead and blasted the oncoming attack with his Aura Sphere, causing a massive explosion however Team Galactic were untouched by the blast, though I can't say the same for Team Rocket.

"We don't care for your landmarks. But these meteorites must take the necessary form."

"What are you talking about?" Dawn yelled back at the commander as he looked up with a serious expression.

"I'm talking about the necessary forms to build the new world!" I clapped my hand to my face.

"Great. It's Team Magma and Aqua all over again. Can't people just leave the world the way it is? It's perfectly fine!" Stupid people. They'd be dangerous if they had a brain. Suddenly I heard the roar of an engine and a motorcycle leaped over our heads impressively, the taillight glowing red as Officer Jenny skidded to a halt then dismounted.

"Maylene, thanks for the tipoff." Jenny said and Maylene saluted with a smile.

"My civic duty." She replied brightly and I smiled. Alright, now we can really start to heat things up. Officer Jenny turned around and faced Team Galactic with a glare.

"You took the meteorites, right? All communications are down because of your tricks." The leader smirked.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Very helpful. Thank you.

"I'll bet they're responsible for the Pokémon Centre breakdown." Brock said before Jenny surprised us all.

"Not just the Pokémon Centre, but every piece of equipment across Vailstone City. You think the Sinnoh special police aren't aware about all the behind the scenes activity going on lately?" Jenny demanded before pointing at Team Galactic. "Well you're busted, you're a part of those super secret criminals. Team Galactic." She accused.

"Yeah we've done that part." I said, flexing my fingers. "Can we start kicking butt now?" But Jenny held me off.

"Tell me exactly what you plan to do with those meteorites." She ordered but unfortunately, our opponent didn't feel like playing story time.

"That would just be a big waste of time. I will say that it's all part of our plan. Toxicroak go, use Dark Pulse." Alright! Some action!

"Charizard, show time!" I called as I released him from his Pokéball. "Use Flamethrower, go!"

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

"And Piplup Bubblebeam!"

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Our four attacks combined and easily repelled the Dark Pulse, however several streams shot off wildly and Brock yelled as one head straight his way, moving fast and there wasn't any time to help.

"Look out!" I yelled but then Croagunk appeared and with a powerful Brick Break, deflected it as easily as that. "Yeah! Go Croagunk!" I cheered as Brock sighed with relief.

"Thanks Croagunk, you saved me." Brock said and Croagunk actually gave a little smile before Toxicroak stomped over, glaring down at Croagunk and the two started a Scary Face stare down. Even just watching made me shiver.

"Surrender peacefully while you can." Officer Jenny ordered. "Unless you'd rather leave here kicking and screaming in handcuffs." She offered and I punched a fist into my palm.

"With a knuckle sandwich to munch on the way." However the leader didn't seem bothered at all by our threats.

"Clear the way." He sighed with irritation and all his followers tossed their Pokéballs into the air and released a hoard of Golbat, too many to count. They started to flap around us and Charizard snarled, growling as they got too close for comfort and he began to blast at them all and hit with Dragon Tail if they got in his way.

"Charizard! Charizard calm down! You're going to hurt somebody!" I yelled, trying to get through to him but then a Steel Wing hit me right in the gut, making me cry out as I was flung backwards. Charizard whirled around, seeing me fall and that seemed to be the final straw.

With the loudest roar I have ever heard, he flung out his wings and started to glow with fire, blazing all around him as he took multiple attacks, his Inferno kicking into gear as he flew up into the sky. "Wow, check it out." Dawn said as she stared in horrified awe. "Charizard is _mad_."

"Pikachu, Piplup, behind you!" Ash suddenly called and I looked to see a Golbat behind them starting a Shadow Ball but then it was zapped by a Thunderbolt and we all turned to see Reggie standing there with Paul's Electabuzz.

"Is everybody okay?" He asked and they all nodded but I pointed up at Charizard who'd gone completely crazy.

"Charizard is on a rampage, I think he's using Dragon Rage!" I cried out as Charizard continued to burn and bright, roaring and striking anything that got in his way and I felt the rage began to burn in my chest, as if he were setting my heart on fire. "Must…get…control…" I gasped, clutching my head. "Charizard…please!"

"Ruby! What's going on? Ruby? Ruby!" I heard Ash call out as Pikachu and Electabuzz teamed up and took out some of the Golbat but as the others closed in, I felt the final rage burst out of me the same moment Charizard's escaped him.

I yelled at the top of my voice, a huge burst of aura energy shooting out from me and slammed against anything that wasn't familiar to me the same time Dragon Rage was released. All the anger poured into me and I felt enraged, furious! How dare those winged pests attack me? I'll show them! I'll DESTROY them all!

Then all of a sudden, I felt drained. As I opened my eyes I saw the aura that had shot out from me withdraw from where it had taken out every single Golbat and had even damaged one of the choppers, stopping it from taking off with the meteorite and Pikachu took out the last one with a Volt Tackle combined with Thunder.

All my energy had been sapped and I heard Charizard crash into the ground, groaning as he formed a new crater with his body. "Charizard…" I whimpered, feeling my head start to spin and I tried to move towards him but my legs were like jelly and I struggled to even walk in a straight line, but somehow I managed to reach him.

Finally giving up, I collapsed to the ground over Charizard's neck, falling into a pit of exhaustion which I fell headfirst into.


	24. Chapter 24

When I woke up it as to several concerned faces gathered all around me. I blinked once, twice, then everything came flooding back to me. "Where's Charizard? Is he alright? What happened?!" I demanded to know but then Reggie gently placed a hand on my shoulder and made me lay back down.

"Charizard is fine, Nurse Joy took care of him. He's worried about you though, he's been in a foul mood ever since you fainted." Reggie told me.

"Yeah, he's worse than Ash on an empty stomach." Dawn agreed, coming and sitting down beside me on the bed with Piplup in her arms. "How do you feel?"

"Like Ponyta just kicked me in the head." I answered, touching my forehead gingerly. "So I passed out?"

"Yeah. After your aura explosion, you just went out cold. You've been unconscious for two days." Brock explained to me. "You and Charizard have a close bond. When he got angry after you were struck, you must have felt it as your own which triggered the response." I sat up a little, glancing around at everybody.

"I didn't hurt anyone did I?" I asked but Ash smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, you took out an entire hoard of Golbat though, as well as a helicopter full of Team Galactic followers. Officer Jenny has them all locked up for questioning, so you and Charizard really helped out." I shook my head and this time, got out of bed. Maylene was there with her Lucario and when I wavered on my feet they both held me upright, giving me support.

"Take it easy, that was some power you used. It's going to take some time for your energy to restore." Maylene said before looking at Lucario. "You even shocked Lucario. He knew you were strong, but what you did went beyond anything he'd felt before. Right Lucario?" He nodded his head in answer.

"What, can't all aura guardians do that?" I asked so Maylene lead me over to the window.

"Not that I've heard. Aura is a very mysterious thing and it takes time to fully unlock. Some trainers have been practicing and training hard for years, decades even, and still haven't reached the stage you're at." So…that means I'm dangerous. If I can't control it like what happened back there, I could end up hurting someone.

"No need to worry, you'll be fine!" Dawn said brightly but I lowered my head.

"No Dawn, there's every need to worry." I said bitterly, gripping the windowsill tightly for balance as her face fell. "I had no idea I could do that, and because I let Charizard's anger affect me, I almost caused you all to get hurt."

"But you didn't hurt us." Brock said, folding his arms as he spoke in a serious voice. "Somewhere deep inside, your mind knew not to attack us even when you had no control, which is why the blast past right through us."

"Brock's right." Reggie said. "You were able to maintain a degree of sense even when you were letting everything go. That means your natural instinct is to protect your friends, so you'd never end up hurting them." I bit my lip, uncertain what to do when I heard a rush of air and instantly I looked out the window to see Charizard landing on the ground, perking up the moment he saw me.

"Charizard!" I cried, flinging open the window and leaped out, all other thoughts leaving as I ran towards him then jumped up, catching his head in my arms as I hugged him tight. "Charizard, you scared me! Don't ever do that again, you could have really hurt yourself." I scolded him before smiling. "Now, I think we'd better work on controlling this new move of yours. Dragon Rage, I like it!" Charizard growled affectionately at me, rubbing his head against me as I hugged him still.

The others all crowded around at the window, smiling as they watched me embrace my Charizard. It felt good to be with him again and I could feel his blazing aura connecting with mine without even trying. "Just promise me you won't lose control like that again." I whispered to him and he growled softly. "I know you just wanted to protect me, but it could have gone terribly wrong. I want to keep you safe just as much as you want to keep me protected."

Charizard licked my face in answer and I fell into a fit of laughter as he slathered me with his tongue, showing his affection as the others all laughed, watching from a distance as I was left to the mercy of my flame tailed friend.


	25. Chapter 25

I walked along with Shieldon, who was happily prancing at my side as we journeyed from Vailstone City to Ash's next gym battle. We'd had breakfast, washed up and were all fresh faced and ready to meet the long day.

We'd been walking for some time when Ash suddenly stopped, going stiff as a board as he yelped slightly. "Hey genius, what's wrong?" I asked him as we all stopped around him.

"Are you okay Ash?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ash said, shaking his head slightly.

"Pika!" Pikachu called out and we all looked ahead to see a small black and blue Pokémon walk out of the bushes. Instantly my heart stopped in place, a deep gasp snatching my breath away as I stared wide eyed.

"What's that?"

"A Riolu!" Brock answered as Ash brought out his Pokédex.

"Riolu, the emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, it's aura becomes stronger as a way of signalling to its allies." That's it, I can't take it anymore.

"I WANT IT!" I yelled at the top of my voice and shoved Ash aside. "Quick, Shieldon use…" I trailed off when I saw Riolu fall to one knee, clutching its arm tightly as I felt its pain. "Hold on, it's hurt." Pointing to its wound Ash instantly ran forwards. "Wait Ash, it might not be friendly to strangers!" I called but he was already way ahead.

"Here, let me help you." Ash offered, kneeling down and tried to inspect the wound but the Riolu shoved his advances off with a strong hand. "I'm trying to help you!" I launched myself forwards as Riolu held out its paw.

Before its Aura Sphere could fully form, I wrenched Ash backwards and stood in front of him, lifting my arm like a horizontal bar and the Aura Sphere deflected off of my guard, keeping both Ash and Pikachu safe from being hit. "It's scared, don't make any sudden movements." I ordered everyone. "And try to stay quiet."

Shieldon crept over to my side, hiding behind my legs as I slowly crouched down to Riolu's height, making myself appear less intimidating as Ash did the same. I gave Riolu a smile, keeping the distance between us. "You're very strong, I thought only a Lucario could learn Aura Sphere, but you're obviously something really special." I said softly, keeping my eyes fixed on Riolu's to show fearlessness. That way, I would earn it's respect. "But you're hurt, and you've got to let us help you. Reach your with aura and you'll see we're not lying."

In answer Riolu closed his eyes and lifted a paw, searching our auras to find out exactly what we intended, but when he only found truth and honesty, he blinked in surprise, giving a soft grunt. "You see?" Ash said with a smile. "Ruby can use aura just like you, so you can trust her, and you can trust us too. Will you let her bandage your wound?" He questioned and Riolu thought for a moment before nodding and walking towards us as I sighed with relief and quickly got my things out.

I sprayed the injury with Super Potion then bandaged it up for Riolu who stood patiently, not showing one ounce of pain though I knew it stung like crazy. "Very good, you're a great patient Riolu." I told him as Shieldon sniffed him curiously. It obviously irritated him as Riolu swept out a paw, taking a swing at Shieldon but I quickly grabbed it. "Shieldon, you know that's not polite. If you want to say hello, say it properly."

"Shieldon!" He called out, smiling at Riolu who blinked before his ears pricked. Suddenly he tore away from me before I could finish the bandage just as a figure jumped through the bushes. "Shield? Shieldon!" Shieldon ran after Riolu as I hastily grabbed my things and threw them back into my bag.

"Hey! Wait for me! Riolu, Shieldon! Don't run off!"

"Is everyone in one piece?" A voice asked and I glanced over my shoulder to see a boy standing there, but I ignored him and chased after the two Pokémon even though Pikachu called for me to slow down.

Running through the bushes and trees I searched for my Pokémon and Riolu. "Shieldon! Shield!" I heard his panicked voice and instantly turned half a circle, heading back the way I came then towards his voice.

"Shieldon, I'm coming!" I yelled and broke through a bush, not caring if it scratched me then stopped when I saw none other than Hunter J's trucks and her men standing around a tree which Shieldon was fiercely guarding, Riolu stood on one of the branches.

"Go Crobat, Wing Attack!" Their ring leader yelled and instantly I held out my hand, forming a shield wall as tall as the tree in front of Shieldon and Riolu. The Crobat slammed into it then cried out as it was flung back with force.

"You're not getting Riolu, or my Shieldon!" I shouted to them as I dropped the guard. Suddenly Ash was at my side, standing with Pikachu with a determined face.

"Yeah! You're not getting away this time. Pikachu Thunderbolt, let's go!" He called and Pikachu aimed straight for the Crobat.

"Shieldon, Take Down combined with Iron Head, let's go!" I called the battle combination and Shieldon instantly charged forwards, aiming straight for a truck but when an Aura Sphere blasted in front of him, he was thrown off course and struck a tree. "Shieldon no!" I cried out then yelled as Ash tackled me around the middle.

"Look out!" Another Aura Sphere hit the ground where we had been standing and I whirled around to see Riolu blasting everything he saw as a threat, including us. "You okay?"

"I'm good." I chirped, getting back to my feet and look to the trucks as the smoke began to clear. Had they been destroyed?

"So that's the famous Aura Sphere, impressive power." The ringleader said and I growled. Guess not. There wasn't even a scratch! "Riolu is ours. Let's go!" He called and his three companions let out their own Crobat, making me instantly leap to my foot.

"I'm not going to let you take Riolu!" I yelled but then the strange boy from before suddenly stood in front of me.

"I won't allow it." He declared then whipped off his green coat, revealing a ranger uniform and he clicked a Styler in place on his arm, glaring across at the Pokémon thieves before using his cool equipment to capture an Ariados. "Ariados, use String Shot!" He called and I stared in disbelief as the Pokémon actually did as it was told. I'd heard about rangers like this but I'd never thought I'd actually meet one. Awesome! Wait a second…Shieldon! Riolu!

Scrambling to my feet I ran over to Shieldon and opened my arms, sighing with relief as he jumped into them. "Shieldon! Shield Shieldon!" He said as he rubbed his head against me and I smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay. You'd better take a rest, it's a little dangerous outside right now." I said and returned him to his Pokéball before turning to Riolu. "Now, how about you let me finish that bandage?" I offered and Riolu blinked at me before looking to his arm. I reached out and tied it off securely, making sure it was clean before sitting back on my knees. "There, you'll be good as new in no time." An idea came to mind and I pulled around my bag and reached into a side pocket. "Here, let me show you something."

Taking out the wooden carving of a Lucario I showed it to Riolu who blinked at it. "My dad carved it for me when I was a little baby. He's an aura guardian too and he has a Lucario as his partner." I explained to Riolu who took my offering to look at it more closely. "You want to go home, don't you?" Riolu nodded his head so I gave him a confident smile. "So home is where we'll take you. Don't worry, we'll make sure you stay safe."

Suddenly I was aware of the boy standing behind me and I turned around, giving him a curious and cautious look but he stepped forwards and knelt down to Riolu's height, holding out a bag. Riolu's eyes widened as a Riolu carving fell into the guy's hand which he showed to Riolu before speaking. "You see? You can trust me Riolu." He said, putting the figure back in the pouch before placing it over Riolu's head to hang around his neck. With that he picked Riolu up then turned to us. "Follow me." He started to run and we followed, though I kept a sharp sense out in case anymore of Hunter J's goons decided to follow.

"So you came out here to help that Riolu, right?" Ash questioned and he turned his head.

"Right. The name's Kellyn. Hi there."

"Hi, I'm Ash."

"And my name's Dawn."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Brock."

"And I'm Ruby." I finished after the Pokémon had all called out their names too. We stopped by a small river for a rest and Kellyn wanted to take a look at Riolu's wound, but Riolu wouldn't let him touch it. He leaped away from Kellyn and rushed to the water's edge away from everyone else.

"Hey, Riolu!" Ash called but I rested my hand on his shoulder to keep him from going after the young aura Pokémon.

"It looks like Riolu's suffered through some tough times, and that can make it hard to trust anybody. It's going to take time before Riolu can trust people again." Kellyn informed as I lifted my head, sensing the breeze begin to pick up a little. It combed through the loose locks of my hair that framed my face, the rest of it tucked up in a plaited bun.

"Hey, isn't that the doll you gave Riolu?" Dawn questioned, noticing how Riolu was now holding it. I smiled and looked down to my Lucario figurine.

"Yeah. It was a gift from the man who raised him." Instantly I sensed a flicker of aura reaching out and my eyes fell on Ash, his body tense as he stared outward before he blinked a few times then shook it off. What was that all about? He walked over to Riolu quietly as not to alarm him.

"That's worth more to you than anything, right Riolu?" Ash questioned and I was happily surprised to see Riolu smiling up at Ash. "You used your aura to tell me that."

"Of course." I said with a chuckle and everyone looked at me. "That's why I felt aura being used. Riolu used his aura to transmit memories and emotions from himself to Ash. You two must have a lot in common to have a bond like that." I smiled at Ash, one hand resting on my hip.

"Don't worry Riolu, I'll help you get home. You can trust us, I promise." Ash said to Riolu before Kellyn's styler rang and everyone crowded around as I sat with Riolu. We sat facing one another in meditation, me listening and watching as Riolu showed me his memories of home, a beautiful valley with a kind old man he saw as father. I couldn't wait to meet him.

Suddenly there was a thunderclap and my eyes shot open, looking up to see a large ship flying through the clouds a fair distance from where we rested. "It's Hunter J's ship." Dawn said coldly.

"So she finally arrived."

"Everybody needs to stay calm and do just what I say, okay?" Kellyn asked and everyone nodded their heads.

"Right." He lead us through the woods and I carried Riolu on my back, keeping him close as he held both his Riolu figure and my Lucario one for comfort, thinking of home and wishing he was there right now. Kellyn brought us to a beautiful lake and he untied the boat, however we needed both Piplup and Buizel to pull us across the crystal clear water.

Once we were settled, he began to explain Riolu's story to us. "This Paradise Kingdom is Riolu's home. His official title is Inheritor of the Aura, he was carefully raised by his breeder. Each royal generation uses Riolu's aura to protect the kingdom, it's passed on and on from generation to generation, and Riolu is next in line." Wow, that's a lot of pressure for such a little guy.

"That's why Riolu can use Aura Sphere." Brock said and we all looked to Riolu who stood at the front of the boat, watching serenely as the world around him drifted by.

"Riolu was kidnapped and locked up by people who planned to use his power for evil purposes. But a different group of people orchestrated Riolu's breakout for _their_ evil purposes. Although it's obvious Riolu was able to escape from them too." The vision flashed before my eyes.

"He blasted his way out of the truck then ran into the night." I answered in a quiet voice before shaking my head. "Sorry."

"Now he's being hunted by a Pokémon Hunter." Brock said sadly. "No wonder Riolu doesn't trust anyone outside its kingdom."

"What an awful way to live." Dawn said as Ash grew angry.

"Selfish people mistreating Riolu like that. I can't stand it!" He almost yelled but I whacked the back of his head without even looking what I was doing.

"Cool it genius. We get it, you hate bad guys." Without warning the wood of the boat burst into pieces and several Sharpedo appeared, glaring hungrily at us though they didn't attack further as we all cried out and crashed into the water.

I floundered for a moment before Buizel picked me up, Ash helping me back to the surface where we both hung on to our water type friend. "What're they doing?" Ash groaned as I glared.

"I bet they're with Hunter J. Look!" I pointed as several armoured trucks pulled up on the bank shore, the punks getting out to see us floating in the water.

"Now, capture on!" Kellyn called as a Floatzel leaped out of the water and he captured it successfully before using it to try and escape to the other side of the river, however four Sharpedo combined their Aqua Jets to hammer the water, forcing us out of the water but then the Pokémon continued to swim for it.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, now!" Ash called as the Sharpedo jumped out the water again and Pikachu hit them with a powerful zap, draining their energy and getting them off our backs.

"Floatzel, step on it!" Kellyn called, Riolu in his grasp but before we could make our escape, a Hyper Beam came in contact with the water, exploding it in front of us and we all pulled up short. When the water drizzled back down, it was to find Hunter J and her Salamance.

"I'm taking Riolu." She announced but Dawn bit back at her.

"I don't think so. Piplup, Bubblebeam!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash echoed and both Pokémon launched their attacks.

"Alright Salamance, Hyper Beam." The three attacks collided in a huge explosion, making me turn my face away from the heat before looking back up to see Hunter J still standing there. She lifted her arm and armed her capture gun, aiming straight for Riolu.

"Quick Floatzel, Water Gun!" Kellyn smartly called and the Pokémon hit Salamance's wing, knocking it off course but it quickly regained balance and Hunter J aimed for Riolu again. "Dodge it!" Kellyn pushed both Pokémon away to dodge the beam and I turned my head to see Riolu diving after its lost figures. "No!"

"Riolu wait!" I cried out then sprang after him, cutting through the water as swiftly as a Buizel in the rain, chasing after Riolu as Hunter J followed in the air.

"Salamance, use Hyper Beam." Doesn't that Pokémon know any other moves? Geez. Salamance struck a jutting rock above and the crumbling rocks struck the water, causing the others to cry out as they hurried to avoid the falling obstacles.

"Ruby, grab on!" Ash called and I stopped, turning to see him holding out his hand and I grabbed it as he and Buizel shot past and I clung on tightly, letting Buizel pull both of us to safety as we followed after Riolu.

We followed the river, letting the current take us but when we hit a small waterfall, Buizel powered over it with the both of us where we then spotted Riolu, flailing in the water before going under. "Buizel dive!" Ash called and instantly Buizel carried us underwater towards where Riolu began to sink.

With a hammering heart I reached out and scooped Riolu up where Buizel then shot to the surface, all of us gasping for air before climbing onto the bank. "Ash, you have to get the dolls…" I panted as I held Riolu close to me, pulling out a towel and blanket. "They'll help keep Riolu calm."

"No sweat, we'll find them, just hold on." Ash said before turning to Buizel. "Come on! You take the water and we'll run along by the bank. Let's go Pikachu!" As he ran off I rubbed Riolu dry and kept him warm and comfortable. I dried out my clothes as best I could then waited.

It felt like forever, but eventually Ash returned with both figures and I smiled as my fingers curled around the Lucario again. "You better put that somewhere you can't lose it again." Ash suggested and I nodded.

"Good idea genius." I answered, putting it in my bag then noticed Riolu beginning to stir. "Hey there sleepyhead, glad to see you're awake." I said with a smile.

"Yeah, we were starting to worry." Ash said as Riolu opened his eyes and looked around him in confusion. He looked at the warm blanket I had put around him then to me with a questioning look.

"I didn't want you to catch cold, that's all. It's my favourite blanket, it's all soft and snuggly." I told him as he stood up and I took it back to fold up and put away. Riolu was looking around him, panicked and in a frenzy until Ash held out his Riolu figure.

"Here. Looking for this?" Ash asked then knelt down. "I'll tell you Riolu, your home is a beautiful place. I can really feel it, I mean its aura." He smiled before taking Riolu's paw and handing him the figure. "This belongs to you. Now take good care of it." Ash chuckled but then Pikachu's ears pricked up and he whirled around with a glare.

"What's the-hmph!" My hand clamped down on Ash's mouth to silence him as I peered through the trees, spotting Hunter J and her men only a few feet from where we were hiding.

"We received a report they didn't turn up downstream. They must have washed up somewhere in this vicinity." Her head henchmen reported as Hunter J's scowl grew more agitated.

"Are you certain?"

"There's no doubt about it." Quietly I nodded and together we moved out, trying to keep low and silent. We ran as a group, keeping close together but then a wildfire sprang up out of nowhere, burning bright and hot. This has to be J's doing. I could hear Pokémon crying out in fear as they ran for their lives.

"Ash look out!" I cried out and grabbed him, tugging him out of the way of a burning branch and we avoided it by mere inches.

"Ruby! Are you okay? Did you get burned?" At his fussing, I laughed. Ash looked at me as if I were crazy but I stood up with a clenched fist and a confident smile.

"Hey, I raised Charizard, remember? Heat doesn't bother me. Now let's move it before we become fish kebabs!" We continued to run however we seemed to be herded whichever way Hunter J chose, using Flamethrower to cut off any escape routes until we were left facing her.

"I'm taking the Riolu now." She stated simply but Ash stepped forwards with a protective hand flung out to cover Riolu.

"We're taking care of Riolu, your luck has just run out!" Ash yelled and I stepped forwards also.

"You can't take us both on J, you're not taking Riolu, and that's final!" She smirked in answer.

"Salamance, use Flamethrower." She ordered but I merely lifted a hand and stopped the attack, the flames swallowing over my shield which made Riolu's widen in awe. When the flames stopped, I lowered my hand and glared up at her.

"Like I said. You are _not_ , taking Riolu." It felt like everything spiralled away as Hunter J and I glared at one another. I knew she wanted Riolu, but I couldn't let that happen. He'd suffered enough already. It just wasn't right.

"You're a fool if you think you can defeat me. Hyper Beam!" She ordered and instantly I held out my hand again, though this time, I felt some real power. I cried out as the Hyper Beam hit then kept on coming, hammering against my shield as I tried to hold it back, gripping my wrist to force it to remain upright.

"You can do it Ruby, just focus! Remember back at Veilstone City, the way you protected us all with that aura blast? You can do it again!" Ash encouraged and Pikachu waved his arms.

"Pikachu Pi! Pika!" Clenching my eyes shut I ground my teeth, growling as the force began to build. That was one powerful Salamance, she must have been training it for years. I can't do this, I can't hold it back forever!

"You can do it!" Ash yelled again but at that moment, my shield shattered into a thousand pieces and in one soundless gasp, we were all flung backwards by Hyper Beam. I cried out and hit a tree, causing pain to flash up my side but it was all gone the moment I heard Riolu cry out for help before his cry was cut short.

"No, Riolu!" I yelled, leaping up and started to run to him but then Hunter J turned to me.

" _This_ time. This time you won't escape."

"Ruby watch out!" Ash called but instead, I just stood still. Fine. Let her take me. Maybe that way I can help bring the others to me.

"Ash!" I called, spinning around as Hunter J aimed. "Remember, everyone has aura inside them. You've just got to find it! Use it Ash, use it to find m-" My words were cut off as everything went bright white…and then pitch black.

Though this time, I could still feel. My conscience was still active because I could sense Riolu close by. He was with J, but feeling scared so I focused my aura on him. _Don't be afraid Riolu. Ash and the others are coming. Help me reach out to them._ Riolu instantly felt more at ease, surprised that I was here but glad too.

It was easy to find Ash, seeing as he was shouting so desperately loud, but also because his aura was the most familiar to me. I'd grown up around him, even though we hadn't _always_ been best of friends, I've known him and his aura the longest of anyone's.

We showed him the way, Riolu seeing through Hunter J's eyes as she looked out her window and together, we led the gang to our location. Now that my aura was stronger, I was more in tune with everything around me.

Hunter J had moved Riolu away from me, which instantly made me angry. That no good Pokémon thief, she can't sell Riolu! He needs to go home. He needs to go home to his family! Hatching a plan, I began to think of all the things that made me angry.

Paul, Gary Oak, Pokémon hunters, thieves, liars, Team Rocket, mistreated Pokémon…argh! This is not good for my attempt at anger management. Oh well. I need to do this for Riolu. I have to fight back, I have to, otherwise everything is lost. I…must…FIGHT!

With an explosion of aura from within, the casing that surrounded my body shattered into a thousand pieces and the dome broke apart around me as I took a breath of fresh, free air. "She's loose! She's loose!" Voices began to call and I smirked darkly, opening my eyes.

Oh yeah. I'm back, and I'm _mad_. Where is that Hunter J? She's got an appointment with my fist! As people tried to run at me I flung out two Pokéballs. "Shieldon, Ponyta, charge!" I yelled and they both powered forwards, lowering their heads and cleared the way as I turned around. "Leafeon, Razor Leaf on the double!" Starting to have some real fun, Leafeon appeared and instantly flung back everyone who was advancing from behind before following after me.

Shieldon and Ponyta charged through anyone who dared tried to get in our way, leading me straight outside where I saw Riolu in the hands of the client. "Not so fast!" I yelled, shocking Hunter J who whirled around as I leaped. I used her as a foothold, slamming my boot into her face and heard a satisfying crunch as I broke her nose. "Give Riolu back!"

"We found you J!" Ash yelled from the cliff and I paused to send him a smile. Impeccable timing genius, as usual. Staravia was sent out, using Quick Attack to separate Riolu from the client as I ordered my Pokémon forwards.

"Go! Shieldon use Take Down, Ponyta, charge them! Leafeon, use Razor Leaf on the tyres!" Just then Ponyta began to crackle with electricity, stomping his hoof before rearing up onto his hind legs with a magnificent battle cry then large bolts of electricity jumped from him as he charged the band of thieves. "Hey, is that Wild Charge Ponyta?" I questioned, scratching my head before cheering. "Alright! I just got me a new move with Ponyta!" Focus Ruby, get Riolu back!

"Give Riolu back!" Ash yelled at the man as Hunter J escaped on her ship but I let her go.

"Not a chance. Dispose of them!" The client ordered and his men all obeyed, sending out an impressive array of Pokémon before he called out his Fearow, laughing as he grabbed one of its legs then was carried up into the air. "Ha! I'll leave you to take care of them!"

"Oh no you don't! Charizard, I need you now!" I yelled and the moment he appeared, I jumped onto his back. "Climb on Ash! You guys stay and do what you can to help protect Dawn and the others, okay?" I called to my Pokémon and they all nodded their heads, turning and stood protectively in front of Dawn and Brock as Officer Jenny and Solana appeared. At least they've got backup. "Now after that Fearow!" I directed as Ash jumped up behind me and Kellyn followed on the ground riding a Dodrio.

Charizard caught up with that Fearow without a problem, snarling as we came close enough for an attack. "Flamethrower, let's go!" I pointed and Charizard instantly flapped his wings for extra lift before blasting Fearow on the back, knocking it clean out the sky and the client yelled in fear as he dropped. "Nice work Charizard, now let's get him!"

"Give Riolu back!" Ash yelled as the guy got up, gasping for breath.

"Not in a million years!" He shook his head and tried to make a run for a cave for cover.

"Dragon Tail!" I directed and Charizard whirled around, striking the rock face above and it shattered, caving in and blocking the way before he snarled, landing directly on top of him and pinned him down with a claw before folding his arms proudly. "Good job Charizard. That's another bad guy on lock down." I said as I slid off after Ash who instantly ran to Riolu's case.

"Riolu!" He called out then stood the dome upright, turning down the dial to release Riolu who blinked then looked around, slightly confused for a moment. "Man am I glad to see you." Ash said with a smile and Riolu beamed before flinging his arms around Ash. "You're okay!"

"Thank you. Both of you." Ranger Kellyn said as he walked towards us with a rope, swinging it around like a lasso so I nodded my head, signalling to Charizard who instantly let our prisoner stand up, ignoring his weeping. "Thanks to you, Riolu can go home safe and sound."

"No problem. Happy to help!" I beamed, giving a victory sign and a wink as our guy was captured and tied up securely. "Just one more thing…" I said, stepping forwards then retrieved all three Pokéballs from his person.

"Hey, you can't take those, those are my Pokémon!" He yelled at me but I just rolled my eyes.

"Please, save your tears for the police." I smirked. "You're going to need them after what you've done. Adios!" I waved my fingers as he was thrown over a Dodrio to be taken back to Officer Jenny. Looking at the three Pokéballs I found the empty one then held it out to the poor Fearow. "Fearow, return! You take a long rest, and we'll find you a new home." I promised before walking over to Riolu who was still in a laughing Ash and Pikachu's embrace. "Nice work buddy. You'll make a great guardian." I complimented and Riolu smiled up at me before jumping into my arms too, making me giggle as he hung onto me tightly. "Now, I think it's time we took you home." I said as I closed my eyes, feeling Charizard place his head against me and Ash joined the hug too, placing his arms around me from behind as Pikachu nuzzled my cheek.

With all thieves safely locked away, it took no time at all to take Riolu back to his trainer and guardian. Dawn and Brock joined Ash, Kellyn and I after we met up then we all brought Riolu home together.

The moment Riolu could see his home, there was no stopping him. He ran the rest of the way and didn't stop until he'd jumped into his guardian's arms, all too happy to be back safe and sound. "On behalf of all the wonderful people who live in this kingdom, we are very grateful to you for bringing our Riolu back." He said and Ash rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"It was nothing." He assured him before looking straight at Riolu. "You take care now, and make sure you don't lose that figure of yours." Riolu beamed then nodded his head, waving it at us before blinking, going perfectly still.

"Riolu? What's wrong?" I asked him but he leaped out of his guardian's arms without another word, running into the house and making everyone frown slightly at his odd behaviour. "What's gotten into him?"

"I don't know, maybe he's just happy to be home and can't wait to get some rest. I'd be tired if I were Riolu after all he's been through." Brock suggested but then Riolu returned, carrying a Pokémon egg and everyone gasped.

"Is that what I think it is?" Dawn asked as Riolu carried it very carefully.

"It must be a Riolu egg!" Ash said as Riolu's guardian blinked.

"Why yes, but that one is barren. Unfortunately it never hatched, though Riolu has never allowed me to let it go. I'm certain he thinks it's still alive, but I can't see how that's possible." He said to us all.

"Why's that?" Ash asked.

"Because it's been sitting there for nearly three years." He answered and we all blinked in surprise. Riolu called out and I looked down at him where he then offered me the egg.

"You want me to take it?" I questioned slowly and Riolu nodded his head, smiling. He gestured to me again so I knelt down and picked up the egg, running my hand over it with closed eyes. "Riolu is right, there is a Pokémon in here!" I gasped, smiling. "I can feel its aura. You knew that too, didn't you Riolu?" He nodded his head proudly but then, to everyone's shock and amazement, the egg began to glow.

"I don't believe it…" The Riolu guardian whispered, leaning forwards as everyone awed in wonder, leaning closer as I stared with wide eyes until finally, the light disappeared and a small baby Riolu lay cradled in my arms, curled up and sleeping before it awoke and opened its eyes. "Now I understand." My heart hammered slowly but heavily in my chest as a cold rush of shock ran over my body. "It wasn't barren, it was just waiting for its right partner. An aura guardian with the perfect bond."

"You mean…it chose me?" I asked as the Riolu looked up at me then smiled, lifting its paws and touched my face, making me smile brightly.

"It obviously wanted you and no one else. I should have known better. Riolu and Lucario are very special Pokémon. They know which trainer they will have a strong bond with, and sometimes will choose to serve one trainer and one trainer alone throughout their life. This Riolu, is yours." I can't believe it. I finally got a Riolu. And it's a girl! I can just tell, she's so adorable, with her baby blue eyes and little smile.

"Wow, that's amazing! You're so lucky Ruby." Dawn said to me as I hugged my new Pokémon.

"I know. I am very lucky. Thank you Riolu." I said then hugged him too before sitting down on the ground and cradled my young Riolu in my arms. "Hi there, I'm Ruby! You and I have a lot of adventures and fun times ahead of us, as well as hard work. One day, I hope together we'll be great aura masters." She giggled up at me and I couldn't help but smile back. "Of course, for now I'm just going to admire how adorable you look!"

"All babies are adorable Ruby. Once you've seen one you've seen them all." Ash said so I stood up and whacked the back of his head.

"Zip it genius." I ordered before lifting little Riolu up into the air. "Yeah! I just got a Riolu!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered with me and we all laughed and giggled together, the light of the setting sun shining on our faces.


	26. Chapter 26

"You know, I think I'm going to give her a name." I announced as we set things up for dinner. Everyone looked around to me as I put out plates with Riolu sitting on one shoulder and Chimchar on the other.

"That's a great idea! What are you going to call her?" Dawn asked as Ash frowned in confusion, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why nickname her? What's wrong with Riolu?" He questioned so I rolled my eyes.

"Because practically every other aura guardian is going to have a Riolu or Lucario. If I give my Riolu a special name, then there won't be any confusion as to who I'm talking about." I replied then put Riolu down on the table, playing with my Lucario figure. "Hmm…" What would be a good name?

"How about something like Winnie? Or Sophie?" Dawn suggested before gasping. "Or Lucky!" I giggled at her suggestions.

"No, I've got the perfect name." I said, picking her up and smiling. "Aurora."

"Wow, that _is_ the perfect name!" Dawn sighed dreamily as Brock continued to stir the pot.

"I think it suits her. Aurora it is." But Ash was still frowning and scratching the back of his head.

"Why Aurora? I don't get it?" Both Aurora and I shot him a glare before I whacked the back of his head, flooring him as Pikachu smartly jumped up onto my shoulder to avoid the conflict.

"Because, _genius_ , it sounds like aura, Aurora? Aura? Get it?" Still no joy. "Never mind." Brock continued to cook our dinner and the Pokémon all helped to set out bowls. Gligar was practicing his gliding however, without much wind to help, he ended up crash landing on Ash. Again.

"Agh! Can't you land somewhere else?!" He yelled as Gligar clung onto Ash's head with his cheeky grin and wink, making me laugh.

"Maybe if your head wasn't so solid, Gligar wouldn't find it so easy to land on." I told Ash as Shieldon rubbed his head against my leg so I stooped down and placed Aurora on his back, tickling his chin before he began to amuse her with a piggy back ride. I watched them like a proud mother hen as they laughed, racing around our camp as Ponyta walked over and nudged me gently, so I began to make a fuss of him.

"So including Chimchar, you have a full party of six, right Ruby?" Dawn questioned as I rubbed Ponyta's velvety nose then nodded my head.

"You're right I do. Hadn't noticed." I answered, leaning my head against Ponyta who nuzzled me affectionately before the call came that dinner was ready and he promptly trotted off to have his dinner. I heard a clink and a tub of food went rolling past me and further downhill, marked with Pikachu's name and a thunderbolt.

"Pika!" Pikachu panicked then dove after it, making me laugh as Ash called out.

"Pikachu wait!"

"Don't worry Ash, I'll go get them. You start eating." I said then went after Pikachu. I ran down the hill and through the bushes, calling out for my yellow furred friend. "Pikachu! Pikachu where are you?"

"Pikachu Pi!" I heard Pikachu's panicked cry and instantly all fun was snapped out of me as I bolted forwards, breaking through the bushes to see Pikachu standing at the edge of a cliff, wide eyed as he held his Pokémon food close whilst facing a brute of a Luxray. "Pika." Pikachu growled, glaring at the Luxray who had his eye fixed on Pikachu's food.

"Lux! Lux…ray!" It growled before striking out with a Thunderbolt and Pikachu gasped.

"Jump and dodge it Pikachu!" I yelled and Pikachu snapped to his senses, jumping up into the air to avoid the hit. "Now Iron Tail!" Pikachu spun in the air, tail glowing brightly before he landed the blow right on Luxray's head, forcing it backwards and I took my chance to step to Pikachu's side. "Now you leave Pikachu alone, this isn't your food!" I told the Luxray sharply. "If you want some, you only have to ask."

"Luxray!" The Luxray seemed to disagree, wanting the food all for itself. Greedy. Luxray struck out with Discharge and I yelped, grabbing Pikachu and launched myself out of the way, hitting the ground further back, closer to the edge of the cliff where I looked down to see a long drop and a lot of water rushing beneath. "Luxray!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu growled then jumped forwards, crackling with electricity but the Luxray slashed with its front paw, knocking Pikachu aside and he hit a rock hard, falling to the ground and didn't move further.

"No! Pikachu!" I cried out, running to his side and scooped him up, holding him close. "Pikachu are you okay?" But he was out cold. This is bad.

"Lux…Lux…" The Luxray prowled closer, eyes set on the food and I kicked it towards him.

"Go on! Take it you big bully!" I snapped and Luxray took a sniff before kicking it aside. What?! After all that it doesn't want the food? Now that is a mean Pokémon. Its fur crackled with electricity and I gulped as it narrowed its eyes at us, focusing its next attack.

Before I could even raise a hand to form a shield, one appeared in front of me, making me gasp and look around. "Electabuzz, Thunder Punch." A familiar drawl ordered and I growled as Electabuzz leaped over the rock as the Thunderbolt hit his Protect, keeping us from harm.

"Electabuzz!" He yelled, fist sparking brightly before he punched Luxray, sending it flying backwards as the Protect disappeared and I turned to Pikachu.

"Wake up buddy, you need to wake up!" I pleaded and Pikachu groaned softly, blinking before looking up at me through half closed lids.

"Pika? Pikachu…"

"Thank goodness." I sighed with relief and held him close before getting to my feet. Paul was standing a few feet to my right, watching the battle between his Electabuzz and the Luxray, however a fast moving Iron Tail whipped Electabuzz back, skidding along the ground before stopping right before us. "Electabuzz! Are you okay?" I asked and Pikachu called out.

"Pika!"

"Electabuzz…" It growled, glaring at Luxray before leaping back to his feet.

"Use Thunder." Paul ordered and Electabuzz struck with a powerful electric attack, but as I watched, Luxray took the hit with a firm stance, seemingly unaffected. Wait a minute, it's using Charge!

"Watch out!" I yelled, jumping up with Pikachu on my shoulder and tried to grab Paul out of the way, but before I could reach him Luxray let off an intense explosion of electrical energy, blasting us all. Instantly I gripped onto Pikachu, yelling as I was flung backwards but as I felt open air swallow me, I opened my eyes to see I was falling. "AGH!" I screamed, Pikachu joining me as we tumbled off the side of the cliff.

Looking to my right my scream cut out to see Paul falling too, only his eyes were closed. Maybe he'd been knocked out. "Paul! Paul wake up! WAKE UP YOU PUNK!" I yelled at him as loudly as I could but it was no use. "Get ready Pikachu!" I called then curled up into a ball, tucking him in close to keep him protected before we hit the water.

Instantly the current dragged us away and down, however I kicked and struggled before finally breaking free and took a long gasp of air. "Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu called with worry, shaking out his fur as he clung to my shoulder.

"It's okay, we'll be fine Pikachu." I assured him as I beat the water with my arms, struggling to stay afloat and I had to fight it all the way. "Paul! Paul where are you?! You better answer me you jerk!"

"Pikachu!" Glancing up I looked to where Pikachu was pointing upstream from us and I saw Paul go under, so I took a deep breath and dove down. I swam against the current as best I could, giving myself time for Paul to catch up before I grabbed him under the arms and with Pikachu's help, we dragged him back to the surface. "Pika Pi!"

"Ash!" I coughed and spluttered out water as I got a mouthful. "Ash help! Brock! Dawn! ANYBODY!" But no one could hear us. "Okay, we're going to be okay. Just hold on Pikachu, don't let go no matter what happens!" I said, struggling under Paul's weight as we were pulled quickly downstream, following the snaking path of the river until we were miles away from where we'd started.

I couldn't let go of Paul, not even he deserved to drown, however I was seriously contemplating my options. "Pikachu, look in my bag quickly, there's a rope on the top." I directed and Pikachu quickly unzipped my bag, pulled out the rope then zipped it up again. "Good, now all we need is something to lasso." I said breathlessly as I continued to ride with the current, trying to keep us both above water. "There!" I saw a long branch overhanging the bank where the canyon spread out into a dark looking forest, eerie and deadly quiet. "Okay Pikachu, it's now or never." I said, taking the rope in one hand and opened it out, the ring trailing in the water before I began to swing it.

Droplets flew everywhere but when I released the rope with one hand, the lasso flew forwards and I guided it to slip over the branch before we surged past, making it shrink before it snapped around the branch and we stopped in the water. "Yes!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered and he climbed up the rope to then sit on the branch. "Pikachu Pi! Pika Pika! Pikachu!" He encouraged as I began to struggle to hold my rope against the beating waves that slammed against me and Paul, who I was holding with one arm.

"Pikachu, try and pull." I said through gritted teeth as I began to search around for ideas. Seeing no other option, I shifted Paul around and draped him over one shoulder, the deadweight, so that I could free both hands and began to climb.

It was hard work, almost impossible but the adrenaline pumping through my body helped to drive me forwards, and finally, we were both out of the water. I swung on the branch, aiming carefully before letting go and I hit the bank with Paul who shivered, his skin a startling shade of grey. "We need to get him warm." I said after I'd checked to see that he was breathing. "Come on Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped back onto my shoulder, rope in hand already coiled up and I smiled at him. "Good job. Now I'm afraid you'll have to walk, I'll have to carry Paul myself."

"Pi." Pikachu nodded and jumped back down again, carrying my rope for me as I shifted Paul then lifted him up over both shoulders. "Pika?"

"See what you can find. We need to rest before heading back to the others." I said and Pikachu nodded before running off into the bushes and I followed him. We didn't go far from the river, but Pikachu found an empty cave which he believed had been abandoned as he couldn't find any recent smells that should alarm us, so I put Paul down and collapsed at his side, exhausted.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shook me and I groaned.

"I know, I know. We need a fire." I said, sitting back up and took off my bag and jacket. "Let's find some wood." We gathered wood together and I used my tools to start a fire, striking my flint before I got a spark and almost too easily I got a blaze going bright and hot. "Right. Now _him_." I glared over at Paul before setting to work.

I took off his jacket, shoes and socks as well as his shirt, tried to ignore the vast amount of skin showing before wrapping him up in a blanket after drying him off. "I hope he wakes up soon." I muttered under my breath. "Because I am not changing his pants."

"Pikachu…" Pikachu shuddered with me. I changed into some dry clothes, Pikachu politely turning around to give me some privacy before I started making some food with the little I had with me. Over the fire using a small pan I made a quick soup with a packet I had and shared it with Pikachu before lifting Paul's head.

"Hey, wake up." I shook him but he only groaned before falling silent again. Sighing irritably I rolled my eyes. "It had to be you, of all people!" I complained before spoon feeding him. He had to eat and get warm because he didn't look too good. He was burning hot but shivering like a leaf. "Okay, okay, no need to worry. No need to worry." I repeated to myself. "I'm lost with the most despicable guy on the planet with one Pokémon. That's bad. The good news is, it's Pikachu."

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu beamed up at me then jumped onto my shoulder, looking down at Paul. I couldn't help but pity him. He looked completely helpless and kind of in pain, flinching every now and then so I guessed he was probably having a nightmare.

"We need to cool him down." I decided, standing up. "Watch over him Pikachu. Anything gets within twenty feet of here, you zap them. Got it?"

"Pikachu." He saluted so I returned the gesture then walked back to the river. It was clean water so I filled up a bottle, wet a cloth then returned to Paul to place it over his head, taking out my medical kit and gave him some medicine to hopefully make him feel better. "Pikachu Pi?"

"I'm okay." I yawned with a stretch. "Just tired. I'd forgotten how nearly drowning takes it out of you." I wriggled on the ground, trying to get comfortable with my only spare blanket, the others having been used to try and moderate Paul's temperature but Pikachu crawled under with me and snuggled in my arms, making me smile. "Don't worry. Once we wake up, we'll find a way to get back to Ash."

"Pika Pi…" Pikachu echoed before we were both sound asleep. We didn't wake up until nightfall, where the forest continued to remain creepily silent so I got up, Pikachu already wide awake and checked on Paul. His fever had come down but he still looked bad, lips tinged slightly blue and for a moment I worried if he was dead, but I found a pulse.

"Alright let's see. Maybe you have something useful." I said, taking Paul's bag then found his other Pokéballs. "Yes! Maybe one of you can help." I grabbed them all and ran outside the cave for some space before throwing them all up into the air. "Pokémon, come on out!" Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder and we stood as three Pokémon took shape. "Hey Torterra, remember me?" I questioned and Torterra blinked in surprise before nodding his head.

"Tor…Torterra!" Beside him was a Luxio, which must have evolved from the Shinx that Paul had back at Reggie's, and a Tangrowth which surprised me, making me blink before pulling out my Pokédex.

"Tangrowth, the Vine Pokémon. Tangrowth catches its prey by extending its arms, which are made of vines."

"Tan! Tan Tangrowth!" It thundered, stomping its feet and I squeaked before calling out.

"Okay! I get it, you want Paul." I folded my arms as the three went silent and looked at me expectantly. "Well he's sick and it's looking bad. We were blown off a cliff by a wild Luxray when it got powered up by Electabuzz and now we're stuck here with no way of knowing where we are." I explained. "However, when Paul's a little better, I'm going to need your help to move him, okay Torterra?"

"Torterra." He nodded his head and I smiled.

"Thank you. Now, there's no need to panic. I'm taking care of him, though it's tempting to just poison him." I muttered under my breath before lifting Paul's Pokéballs. "Okay everyone, return!" They disappeared and I clipped them onto my belt for safe keeping before turning and going back inside. Pikachu and I built up the fire again and watched as the dawn came, bringing a green glow to the forest floor. "What is this place?" I questioned quietly and Pikachu gulped.

"Pikachu…" His ears were flat against his back and I could tell he was missing Ash.

"Don't worry." I said, picking him up and giving him a hug. "We'll be back in no time." I assured him before taking a deep breath and starting to meditate. I focused on the auras of my Pokémon, calling out to them but they were a long way away and it was difficult to get a track of them.

Besides, before I could make any real progress, Paul woke up. He groaned, muttering under his breath as he touched his head then frowned as he found the damp cloth there. "What? Where am I? Who's there?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted warmly, stepping forwards and smiled at Paul who groaned.

"Great. It's the pipsqueak. Where's your loser trainer?"

"Talk like that about Ash again and I'll just leave you here." I snapped, turning my head to shoot him a look as I got up and walked into the light. "You're ill and were drowning, so Pikachu decided to save you and I helped out, so you better be nice to us." I warned him before starting on some breakfast. Pikachu had found some fruit and berries so I cut it up into a fruit salad and shared it out between us, though Paul was cautious at first. "Trust me, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already." I drawled, pushing the pan into his hands then tossed him a fork. "Pikachu, can you hear anything?" I asked and Pikachu lifted his ears, twitching slightly before shaking his head.

"Pika Pika…"

"Strange. I haven't seen one living thing in this forest." I said quietly to myself before sighing. "Oh well." But then Paul suddenly growled.

"Where are my Pokémon? And my clothes?" He demanded and I gestured to where I'd draped his clothes over the rocks to dry out.

"Your clothes were soaked so they're drying and your others were dirty, so I washed them." I answered simply. "Your Pokémon are here, safe and sound." I turned around and showed them to be clipped onto my belt. "Seeing as you were fast asleep, dead to the world, I took the liberty of giving them a run down on the situation."

"Give them back right now." He ordered and I arched an eyebrow at him, unimpressed with his tone. He scowled at me before looking away. "Please." Smirking with satisfaction I returned his Pokéballs and he placed them close to him protectively. "So where are we?"

"No idea. A few miles downstream of where we fell. The river was very fast and I couldn't pull us out of the current until it had died down a little, but by then it was too far to walk back and you were sick, so we stopped here to rest. Right Pikachu?" I turned to my little friend who had taken up residence on my shoulder and he beamed.

"Pikachu!" He agreed and Paul glared at us.

"This is all your fault." I glowered hotly at him.

"My fault? I'm not the one who hit a wild Luxray with Thunder whilst it was using Charge. You're the one who boosted its attack power and got us blown off a cliff." Paul glanced around.

"Where's Electabuzz?" I'd completely forgotten about him. I hadn't seen him fall, so maybe he didn't land in the water too. The colour drained from my face and I turned around so that Paul didn't have to see my worried expression.

"I don't know."

"Then find out!" Paul yelled, trying to get up but then his head began to spin, forcing him to fall back down to his resting position. "For your sake he'd better be alright."

"I didn't see him fall, so he must have got blown back away from us, and if that's the case Brock and the others would have heard the explosion and come to investigate. He'll be taken care of, don't worry." I replied, turning back around. "Now stay there whilst I see if your clothes are dry." Some of them weren't, however one of his shirts was so I tossed it back over to him and he put it on.

Blushing slightly I turned around, walking to the front of the cave where I rubbed my arm as a chill swept over me. "Pikachu Pi?" Pikachu questioned gently and I smiled.

"We're going to be fine. All we have to do is follow the river and we'll be back with the others." Question was, would Paul be well enough to travel? He doesn't look good, his skin is very pale and his temperature is back up. "I'll be back in a while." I announced and Paul turned his head to look at me. "I'm going to take a look around." He said nothing so I walked out of the cave with Pikachu on my shoulder and began to walk around the forest.

Not even the wind breathed, it was kind of scary. It was dark, dank and it smelled old. "Maybe the Pokémon just didn't like it around here?" I suggested to Pikachu who kept an eye out.

"Pika." He answered before going silent again. The trees looked dead, with ivy climbing around them in thick clusters with little to no light being able to break through the thick canopy overhead. "Pikachu?"

"I know, it's weird. Maybe if some of the trees were cut back and new ones planted, in no time at all this place would be a great spot for Pokémon to live. Minus the deadly river." I said, looking around with a smile. "There's fruit growing, so the soil has to be rich, and there seems to be plenty of room." Know what that means? I totally claim this place as a future sanctuary point!

Giggling to myself I turned and walked back to the cave, only to find Paul completely dressed and looking through my photo album. "Hey! That's mine!" I glared and Pikachu narrowed his eyes, cheeks sparking as Paul flicked through the photos.

"You have some rare and strong looking Pokémon." He told me simply. "Though others look like wimps. That Jigglypuff? Please."

"I'll have you know that my Jigglypuff is the roughest, toughest Pokémon I have. You wouldn't want to mess with her, believe me. She'll draw you in with her pretty blue eyes then Double Slap your face until you can't count the Butterfree fluttering around your head!" I folded my arms and glared at him as he continued to flick through.

"Who's this?" He asked, tapping a face and I inched closer to see.

"Misty. She's a friend back in Kanto and the Cerulean City gym leader." I answered and he moved on.

"Who's this?" Looking again I smiled softly.

"That's May and her little brother Max." I explained, moving closer to see. It was a photo of just the three of us, all eating ice creams though in my distraction, I hadn't noticed May taking a taste of mine, and Ash had caught the moment when I'd noticed and she and Max almost keeled over laughing as I had rammed the ice cream into her face. May didn't complain, she finished it all off in no time flat. "I met them in Hoenn. She's a coordinator and Max wants to take over their dad's gym when he's old enough."

Paul continued to look through my photos and I sat beside him, looking with him but he didn't spend long glancing at each photo for a brief second before moving on, however when he finished I started from the beginning and went through them again with Pikachu, who mirrored the expressions in the pictures whenever he saw himself pulling a funny face. "You have a lot of friends." Paul said to me, eyes closed as he leaned back.

"Yeah. I'm lucky to have them." I answered quietly, running a hand over Max's face. "I miss them." Paul snorted slightly and I shot him a dark look.

"Friends are a waste of time. They only slow you down." He informed me but I shook my head.

"Not real friends. Real friends help you on your way and always have your back. Like Pikachu, I know I can rely on him whatever the situation." I said as I looked to Pikachu and moved my shoulder forwards so that Paul could see.

"Pika! Pika Pika!" He cheered and I winked at him before looking back at the photos.

"You know, I don't have to be an aura guardian to be able to tell that you don't like people very much." I began. "You don't trust them."

"Why should I?" Paul snapped quickly. "You get close to someone, they'll only let you down."

"I'm close to Ash and Brock and they haven't let me down." I answered in the calmest voice I could manage. "And I've been travelling with them on and off for four years now. Almost five." Turning back to my book I smiled at a photo Brock had taken of me whacking the back of Ash's head for a dumb comment he'd made. "You can't hide from the world forever you know."

"Why do you care?" He demanded to know but I shrugged.

"Oh believe me, I don't." I replied sardonically, rolling my eyes. "But your aura is really starting to bug me. It's very repelling and not very pleasant to be around." Standing up I closed the book, giving him a sharp glare. "Don't touch my stuff again." With that I walked to the opposite side of the cave.

Paul went back to sleep, his fever not getting any better however it didn't get worse, which I suppose is a good thing. Around midday I wrapped him back up in two thick blankets then took Torterra out of his Pokéball, dragging Paul over. "Okay buddy, time to get moving." I said, lifting Paul up though I struggled at first.

Torterra stood patiently as I settled Paul over his back, puffing for breath before shaking myself off. "Right. Let's go!" I cheered. "I've missed three of Brock's meals and I don't intend to let another pass by." We marched forward, following the river and Pikachu happily rode on my shoulder, standing on my bag as I carried Paul's as well which was totally dry now as well as all his things.

Torterra walked silently at my side though I engaged conversation with both him and Pikachu, chatting away about mundane things such as the weather and what an idiot his trainer was and gradually, I sensed Torterra warm to me. I think he thought I was an idiot, and began to grow a soft spot for me.

When we stopped for a break, I went into meditation and tried reaching out again, this time coming back with a result. "Pikachu, they're looking for us!" I beamed as I felt Aurora's aura connect with mine. "Wow…they're really worried." I blinked, feeling the sadness and panic Aurora was feeling. "But they are searching for us, and now they know where we are. So let's get going already!"

"Pika Pi! Pika Pika!" Pikachu cheered and jumped back onto my shoulder. We walked for the rest of the day until nightfall where I made a makeshift tent out of some branches and rope, pulling them together to form a crude roof over Paul as the rain started.

"Good work today Torterra, you've been a big help." I said as I returned him.

"Torterra!" Smiling I minimised the Pokéball then put it back on Paul's belt as he continued to sleep, shivering and murmuring quietly whilst I fed him the last of the soup, giving him my share so that Pikachu had some too.

I was cold, wet and hungry. Not the best combination. Sitting against a tree under my umbrella I looked up at the black sky as lightning flashed overhead. "Hope the guys are okay." I murmured softly as Pikachu stood under the canopy I'd made, holding a leaf over the fire to keep it dry and I chuckled. At least he and Paul were dry. I would squeeze under with them, but that would mean going to sleep right next to Paul and I don't want to be any closer to him than I am now.

"You'll get sick if you sit out there." His voice mumbled and I arched an eyebrow.

"Well there isn't any room for me to be dry, so I'm staying here." I answered finally. "The rain will clear up in a minute." In answer there was another flash of lightning, the bolt splitting across the sky alongside a rumble of thunder. "Or maybe not."

"Just get over here." Paul ordered, shifting slightly then opened his blankets. I shot him a look to which he answered with a growl. "Do you want to be stuck there all night?" Now that he mentions it, not really. I feel like I'm turning into a statue already.

"Okay fine. But no one hears of this, understand?" I demanded as I approached, putting away my umbrella then blushed deeply. I lay down on the ground, creating as much space between Paul and I as possible but then he pulled me closer and put the blankets over me and I was instantly drawn to the heat of his skin from his fever.

"Now shut up and go to sleep." He ordered so I stuck out my tongue at him.

"Pikachu? Pikachu come here." I whispered and Pikachu scampered over before I tucked him under the blanket with me. The rain poured down, sliding over the palm tree leaves I'd draped over our roof, keeping us dry and I soon warmed up thanks to Paul and Pikachu was quickly sound asleep, though the lightning kept on waking me every time I drifted off.

This is going to be a _long_ night.


	27. Chapter 27

I dreamed about Aurora. She was crying and refusing to eat. Not even Brock could calm her down. "Man, she sure misses Ruby." Ash was saying as they sat around a table in a cabin, a thunderstorm raging outside. "I know how you feel Aurora, I miss Pikachu." He said, picking her up from Brock and held her close, trying to comfort her. "But he's with Ruby, and Ruby's with Pikachu, so you know what that means? They're going to be just fine. If there's anyone who knows how to take care of herself, it's Ruby." Ash said and Aurora calmed down a little, sniffing and wiping her tears as she looked up at Ash. "Now, how about you eat something? Ruby would want you to keep up your strength."

If I'm seeing the gang, it must mean I'm seeing it through Aurora. Awesome! Ash fed Aurora himself, holding her carefully as she suckled from the bottle.

"Good job Ash." Brock praised as Dawn looked out the window, holding Piplup in her arms.

"You think they'll be okay in this weather?" She questioned, looking worried.

"Of course I do. It's Ruby we're talking about! She's read every survival guidebook there is. She'll know how to keep safe." Ash answered. "Though I can't work out one thing. How come Paul's Electabuzz was here? Do you think there was an accident?"

"Maybe they had a battle and they fell off that cliff Electabuzz showed us." Dawn suggested but Brock shook his head.

"I found tracks that belong to a Luxray, and the air tasted of static. I think they may have got in trouble somehow with that Luxray. We won't know until we find Ruby." Dawn shivered.

"To think, she might be stuck out there with that creep. She'd have killed him by now." Electabuzz suddenly appeared, sitting up from a sofa he was resting on and growled. "Sorry!" She squeaked before muttering under her breath. "But it's true." Suddenly the door burst open and a rain soaked man stepped inside, taking off his coat.

"I'm sorry, but we can't continue looking in this weather, it's just too dangerous. If you're right about your friend falling into the river, then I hope she's as strong as you say she is, because we've lost a few people in those waters." Dawn gasped, eyes going wide as she clapped her hands to her mouth. "It's very strong, and after a storm like this, it'll be even higher. I just hope she made it out before now."

"She'll make it. She and Pikachu have to make it." Ash said, standing up with Aurora. "I'll go out and help you right now!" He bolted for the door and if I could, I would have whacked the back of his head. You can't go running out into a storm, genius!

"Now hold on son." The ranger said, stopping Ash in his tracks. "It's too dangerous. The best we can do for now is sit tight and wait it out. With any luck it'll be gone by morning, then I'll call for a chopper and we'll search by air." Sighing in defeat Ash nodded his head before returning to the others.

"Don't worry Ash. We'll find her." Brock assured him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get all the Pokémon to help too."

"Yeah. I just hope we find her soon, Charizard is getting a little hot to handle." Dawn said, looking down at Piplup. "I don't think Piplup's Bubblebeam is going to work anymore for snapping him out of his rage." Looks like Charizard and I need another talk. I thought I'd told him not to worry about me! Aurora sniffed and curled up against Ash who put on a smile.

"No need to worry. We'll all be together again soon." He promised and I nodded my head in agreement. Of course we will. What's a little rain anyway? Hang on, why does it feel so damp? Blinking myself awake, I found the leaves I was laying on to be flooded with water.

"Agh!" I yelped, shooting bolt upright. The river, it had overflowed and was now rising up the bank! I should have stopped on higher ground, stupid Ruby! "Pikachu wake up!" I yelled over the storm, grabbing the blankets and quickly bundled them together, however they were so sodden and heavy that they had been ruined by the mud and rain, so I tossed them aside. "Come on!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu leaped to his feet and jumped onto my shoulder as I grabbed unconscious Paul and began to drag him higher up the bank as the water level continued to rise, thrashing out at us and threatening to pull us back in. "Pikachu Pi!"

"We need to get out of here." I said, grunting as I pulled Paul up a safe distance before I grabbed a Pokéball. "Luxio, we're in trouble, help!" I yelled over the thundering rain and Luxio appeared. "Perfect, you need to carry Paul for me, please!" I begged and Luxio nodded his head, pouncing over and let me swing Paul over his back, draping one leg over him and rested his head against Luxio's neck. "Now run!"

"Lux!"

"Pika!" We all ran, Pikachu riding on my shoulder as Luxio sprang ahead, leaping over a fallen tree as I scrambled after them, the rain stinging my eyes like Beedrill but I wiped them clear and kept on running away from the water as it continued to rise swiftly, dragging fallen branches and logs with it.

Glancing back I saw it sweep away the camp I had made, including my favourite blankets. Aw man, I'll have to replace those. "Luxio!" Luxio called back to me, stopping to make sure I was following but I waved him on.

"Keep going!" A lightning bolt struck the ground behind me and I squeaked in fear, tripping as I ran but I refrained from falling and kept on moving forwards. I struggled up the bank, the soil becoming as thick as sludge and I struggled to get a grip with my feet, grunting as I began to slide. "No! No!" The water snapped at me below, making me gasp as I grabbed onto the root of a tree and clung on as Pikachu gripped onto my shoulder.

"Pika…Pikachu…PIKA!" He suddenly yelled and I turned my head away as my wet fingers began to lose grip on the root.

"Pikachu, you go on ahead." I ordered but he shook his head, refusing to leave me.

"Pikachu Pi!" He jumped onto the root and tried to grip onto my hand, attempting to help me hang on.

"Don't worry about me, you just get back to Ash! He needs you!" I shouted over the clap of thunder and lightning. "Just go!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shook his head, rain streaming down his face like tears. Or were they tears? I couldn't tell. His face was illuminated by every flash of lightning as I felt my hands continue to slip, my feet scrambling against the bank but it fell away into the water as it became sodden.

"Go on! Get out of here!" I yelled, trying to get a better grip. "Pikachu?" I gulped as I felt my fingers begin to scream in pain before finally, I lost contact with the branch. "PIKACHU!"

"PIKAAAAAAAA!" We both yelled and I fell down, heart jumping to my throat and I dropped, however I barely fell two feet before something lashed around my wrist and I instinctively grabbed on.

"Luxio!" My saviour growled, holding onto me with his tail, straining to keep grounded as Pikachu gasped.

"Pika? Pikachu Pi!"

"Pull Luxio! You can do it!" I encouraged, gripping on and Luxio began to drag his claws into the ground, trying to pull me up as Paul remained unconscious on his back, however the soil began to shift, being dragged out by the rising water level. "Hurry"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped forwards and began pressing against one of Luxio's legs, trying to help move Luxio forwards but we were going nowhere. Time was running out, I could feel the river licking at my feet, trying to pull me back in.

"Keep trying Luxio, one more time!" I called out and Luxio instantly put all his effort into it.

"Lux…io!" He roared before flashing bright white. My eyes flew wide open in shock as my mouth dropped, staring as Luxio began to evolve. He grew bigger, his tail longer and the moment the light was gone, Luxray flicked up his tail and I flew through the air with a yelp before I landed on his back behind Paul. "Luxray…" He smirked and instantly I beamed.

"Awesome job, now let's get out of here! Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!" He jumped onto my shoulder and Luxray started to run, carrying both of us easily and I leaned Paul back against me to make him more comfortable as Luxray bounded through the forest, getting us as far away from the river as possible and onto higher ground.

The storm resided, the sky going calm though the clouds continued to hang threateningly over us as I slipped off Luxray, shivering from the cold. I instantly pulled Paul down to rest on the ground then flung my arms around Luxray, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, you saved our lives." I said and Luxray sat down, resting his head on my shoulder.

We slept together as a group, keeping one another warm as I changed my clothes. Paul wasn't too bad, considering he was wearing my waterproof parka so I took that off, hung it up and was glad to see he was mostly dry. Too tired to do anything else, I lay against Luxray and went to sleep curled up with Pikachu.


	28. Chapter 28

When I told Paul what had happened last night, he just sat there. "I slept through all that?" He questioned as I checked his temperature.

"More like you were unconscious. It took a while to wake you up. I've been spoon feeding you crushed berries for two meals now." I replied tiredly, too exhausted to pick a fight with him. His temperature was still sky high but his skin was a better colour than it was before. "Well, all I can say is you need a doctor and fast. Hold on a second." I began to move away but Paul grabbed my arm quickly but gently, making me turn back to look at him as he hesitated before speaking.

"Thanks. Looks like I owe you one."

"It was Luxray who saved you." I said, lifting the Pokéball that contained the resting Pokémon as I handed it back to Paul. "And he saved me too. I thought that river was going to eat me up for sure." I dug through my bag looking for supplies but then my hand brushed something round at the bottom. "Huh?" I frowned then pulled it out, shocked to see it was a Pokéball. "Of course!" Hastily I grabbed the two others, holding them in front of me and almost cried in relief. "The Pokéballs I confiscated off of that client of Hunter J's, I totally forgot!" Then I felt guilty. "I should have handed them over to Officer Jenny."

"Who cares? Find out what they are!" Paul snapped at me and I turned around with a smile.

"Oh I know one of them. Come on out Fearow!" I called and the Pokémon appeared, ruffling his feathers before blinking, looking around in confusion before hissing and snapping his beak threateningly at me. "I know it's strange and you're not with your master, but unfortunately he's behind bars at the moment, so I'm taking care of you." I said slowly, reaching out with a calming aura at the defensive bird Pokémon.

Fearow lifting his wings and beat them, squawking harshly and Pikachu leaped to my side, glaring with crackling cheeks. "Pika Pika." He growled but I held out a hand, signalling he should calm down.

"My name is Ruby. I'm a friend. This is Pikachu, and that over there is Paul. He needs help and you're the only one who can get it for him." I said, opening my eyes so that they appeared pleading and Fearow stopped snapping, blinking in surprise as he looked at me closely. "Please? Will you bring help?" I asked gently and Fearow turned to Paul.

Paul said nothing, however he looked like hell and Fearow finally nodded his head. "Thank you! Okay, I'm going to attach something to your leg, something that the gang will recognise…I know!" I unlashed the neckerchief from around my neck and tied it securely to Fearow's leg. "Now fly east and follow the river until you find help, okay? You're looking for people who look like this." I pulled out a photo and showed it to Fearow who blinked, taking a good look at the recent photo of Dawn, Brock, Ash and I. "Please hurry!" I called as he took to the sky in a flash.

"You know, we could have just flown out of here." Paul stated before beginning to cough to I fetched him some water.

"You're in no condition to travel, and that Fearow is too small to carry us both. We'd get a few feet before it would crash land with us in tow." I answered smartly. "And no way am I leaving you here alone." Paul frowned at me, face going pale again.

"That's what I don't get." He said in a hoarse, weak voice as his eyes began to slide shut. "Why're you still here?" That caught me by surprise. Did he really think I'd just abandon him like that? Gee, that actually hurts a little.

"I wouldn't leave you here Paul, you need help. Sure I don't like you very much and I don't approve of the way you train your Pokémon, but you're still a human being who needs someone right now." I answered. "You may not want me here, but I'm all you've got. Except for Pikachu of course, and your Pokémon." Paul looked at me through bleary eyes, trying to process what I had said so I gave him a smile. "Don't worry, just go to sleep." In answer he turned his head and sighed as I stood up, however I caught his last words before he drifted into sleep.

"You have pretty eyes…" I spun around, shocked and I looked to Pikachu who blinked up at me, equally as astounded as I was.

"Did I hear him right?" I asked and he nodded his head, tapping a paw and lifted one hand in scout's honour. "Guess he must be seriously ill if he's starting to dish out compliments." I said as Pikachu climbed up to stand on my shoulder. "Do I really have pretty eyes?" I asked and Pikachu nodded his head with a smile.

"Pika Pikachu!" I giggled.

"Thanks buddy. You're the best." I said before turning and sitting down on a rock. I had two more Pokéballs clipped onto my belt, Fearow's being empty so I pulled them out and tried to sense what they were. "Hmm…we have an Aggron and…a Rhydon. Sweet." Putting them back I tried to decide what to do with them. I'd forgotten to hand them over to Officer Jenny, being so distracted by Aurora hatching. Maybe I could send them to the Mismagius field? No, they wouldn't fit in there. So where could they go?

I thought about it for a while until my stomach started to rumble and Pikachu's echoed me, so we set about finding some dinner. Pikachu kept watch over Paul, checking his temperature and helping to keep him drinking the spring water we found whilst I gathered food. "I'm sorry but berries was all I could find." I said to Pikachu as I returned. "Here, you take first pick." I said and Pikachu jumped over. We shared the sparse few berries I had found before Pikachu sat in my lap, helping me keep an eye on the sky for when Fearow returns, hopefully leading the gang to us.

My head jerked up and I inhaled sharply, waking up from where I had been dozing. Oops. Must have dropped off. Pikachu was curled up, asleep in my lap so I didn't move as I didn't want to disturb him. Groaning slightly I clicked my neck, tilting it to the side before yawning. What I wouldn't give for a warm bed and a full belly right now.

Glancing over to Paul I saw he was still asleep so I returned to my sky watch. That is, until the ground began to tremble. Pikachu jolted awake, ears pricking up before his tail stood bolt upright in warning. "Pika!"

"What is it Pikachu, is something coming?" I asked before closing my eyes and searching with aura. What I saw was not good. Not good at all. "Everyone move!" I yelled, leaping to my feet and Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder as I grabbed Paul and hauled him to his feet as he slurred.

"What now? What's going on?"

"STAMPEDE!" I thundered, slinging his arm over my shoulders and his eyes widened as the ground began to shake harder. That's right. A whole herd of Ryhorn are heading straight for us. AND THEY'RE NOT STOPPING!

Paul struggled to run so I slowed down, pulling him along with me before we slipped together, falling down the bank then hit the ground hard where it suddenly turned rocky. "Ow." I complained as Paul landed on top of me, straddling my waist. "Move it punk, before we get trampled!"

"Can't we just fight them off?" I burst out into laughter as I shoved him off then returned to helping him shuffle as fast as he could.

"Trust me, there's no stopping a Ryhorn stampede. I volunteered at a safari once a long time ago. That was basically the first rule you learned. If it's stampeding, so should you be. In other words, get out of there." I explained before growling and grabbing one of his Pokéballs. "Luxray, come on out!"

"Hey!" Paul glared at me as Luxray appeared.

"Shut up and get on." I answered. Just as Paul had swung his leg over, the bushes exploded and I turned to see a large hoard of Ryhorn bearing down on us, braying and smashing heads with one another as they charged. "Run Luxray!" I cried out as I jumped on with Pikachu on my shoulder and Luxray instantly pounced.

"Luxray!" There were hundreds of them! It was amazing to see, but with my heart pounding as fast as Luxray was running, I was a little too terrified to see that. Luxray carried us speedily away though the Ryhorn seemed to follow, smashing through the rocks as the solid terrain continued to tremble.

"Keep going Luxray, you're doing great, we're almost there!" I encouraged, arms wrapped tightly around Paul as he held onto Luxray's thick mane.

"Lux!" Luxray leaped off a rock and landed on another, pausing to look back only to see the Ryhorn plough _through_ the rocks without even a moment's hesitation. "Luxray!"

"Over there!" I pointed, spotting a bend in the canyon we seemed to have trapped ourselves in. I could hear water close by, rushing swiftly so I tried to steer us away from it as Paul groaned, falling limp in front of me. "Paul!" I grabbed him and hung on, keeping him upright as Pikachu looked back.

"Pikachu Pi!" He called and I looked to see the Ryhorn begin to close in on us.

"Hurry!" I squeaked and Luxray picked up the pace, pouncing from rock to rock then turned the bend only to halt suddenly, calling out with a hiss as I gripped on tightly. His front paws stopped scratched into the rocky ground as we faced a large towering cliff with no way out. The stampede passed by, not taking the turn however I sensed something else coming closer. "Pikachu, you hear that?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Pika…" The stampede cleared, leaving a trail of dust and a bellowing silence which clung to the air for a moment before the ground shook with a loud thud. Something was coming closer.

"Think Ruby think!" I hit myself on the head, trying to spark a thought but nothing came. "Great. I can't think on an empty stomach!" I yelled at the sky but then Pikachu tugged on my sleeve.

"Pikachu Pi? Pika." He said and I looked to where he was pointing. A shadow appeared through the dust, towering large and dauntingly over everything before two more shapes appeared beside it, smaller than before. "Pi…ka…"

"Uh…oh…" I spoke at the same time as Pikachu as Luxray hissed, growling under his breath as I dismounted. The shapes stomped their massive feet, causing a distilled rippling effect through the ground, making me waver on my feet as I gulped then drew Paul down from Luxray who instantly stood protectively over his master. There was a roar and I continued to look up until finally, I saw what we were facing.

A massive Rhyperior and two Rhydon, all of which were glaring at us and seemed pretty mad about us being in their territory. Uh oh. This bad. This is really, _really_ bad. What do I do? I know, Pokédex! "Rhyperior, the Drill Pokémon and the evolved form of Rhydon. Rhyperior can concentrate strength in its body and expand, causing the stone in its hand to launch." Okay, so it's tough. So what?

"Pikachu! Pika Pika!" Pikachu yelled, taking his place in front of me as Luxray growled.

"We don't want any trouble." I said, trying to reach out to them but the Rhyperior roared and slammed its fists into the rocks beside it before launching them at us. "Pikachu Iron Tail, go!" I instantly called out, switching from panic mode to battle mode and all fear fled from me.

"Pi _ka_!" Pikachu growled, breaking through the rocks with each hit and shattered them before they made impact.

"Luxray, return! Go Torterra, Tangrowth!" I called, pulling out Paul's Pokémon to help out. "Okay, Paul's unconscious again and he needs you to protect him. So please, you have to trust me!" I said as the three enemy Pokémon began to roar and psych themselves up for a battle. I knew reasoning was fruitless. All they wanted was to challenge us, so a battle is exactly what I'm going to give them.

"Torterra!" Torterra agreed then nodded to Tangrowth who caved, turning to face its opponent.

"Alright! Torterra, use Leaf Storm on the Rhyperior, Tangrowth, Vine Whip and Pikachu, Iron Tail!" I punched the air and the three Pokémon set to work. The tree on Torterra's back glowed as he stored up power before blasting Rhyperior with the attack, Tangrowth and Pikachu diving for the Rhydon and hit them with everything they had.

Pikachu landed on a rock then sprang out of reach as the Rhydon took a swing at him and I stood guard over Paul, kneeling on the ground whilst holding him close, more for my comfort than for his protection. Hey, he was a jerk I'll admit, but he's the only thing I have right now to keep me focused and feeling not so scared. After all, have you seen the _size_ of these Pokémon?

Rhyperior took the hit, roaring in anger before charging with Megahorn straight for Torterra. "Hyper Beam!" I called and Torterra instantly blasted Rhyperior, deflecting it backwards but I knew I had to act fast. "Tangrowth, grab Rhyperior with Vine Whip to protect Torterra from another attack." Seeing as Torterra didn't seem to move much, I thought it would be best then trying to get it to dodge.

Tangrowth spun around, a Rhydon caught in one arm then extended its vines to wrap them around Rhyperior who shook himself off from the attack and tried to charge again, but this time Tangrowth tripped him up and began to drag him backwards. "Yeah!" I cheered, seeing that we were starting to win, but then it all went downhill from there.

The Rhydon being restrained by Tangrowth suddenly managed to turn and use Hyper Beam at close range, causing Tangrowth to cry out and let go of everything. Rhyperior turned and charged with Megahorn again, which would do serious damage against Torterra who as still recharging. "Pikachu, Volt Tackle now!" I cried out desperately but Pikachu's attack had no effect, he merely bounced off the powerful Rhyperior before it slammed its horn against Torterra, flipping him onto his side. "No! Torterra, return!" I called then growled. We have to get out of here, it's too dangerous.

The Rhyperior and Rhydon turned on Tangrowth and Pikachu, surrounding them and Tangrowth looked in bad shape. What can I do? Wait, I know! Letting Paul gently down to the ground, I stood up with a determined expression. "Okay, Aggron, Rhydon! It's all up to you now!" I called and sent them both out.

Aggron and Rhydon roared but then blinked at me so I sighed. "Your master is in prison and now I'm taking care of you but these three bullies are trying to hurt my friends and we need to escape because Paul is sick and he needs a doctor right away. Get it?" I debriefed and Aggron frowned at me before looking at Rhydon, the two of them whispering to one another.

However at the appearance of a new challenge, Rhyperior abandoned Pikachu and Tangrowth, turning around to growl at Aggron who instantly took the challenge. The two Rhydon stepped forwards but Rhyperior held out an arm, signalling that Aggron was his. "Alright, are you with me?" I questioned and Aggron nodded his head. "Sweet, now Aggron, use Iron Head!" I ordered. "And Rhydon, you use Take Down!" I pointed to the other two Rhydon who squeaked as my temporary Pokémon charged them without letting up a hint.

Aggron slammed against Rhyperior who grabbed Aggron but he was forced back a long distance before they crashed into a pile of rocks and tumbled to the ground together. "Now use Headbutt!" Aggron slammed his head against Rhyperior, knocking him back down and I looked to my Rhydon to see he'd taken out the other two in just one hit. "Ha. Piece of cake." I said as Tangrowth walked back over and Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder. "Rhydon, help Aggron, use Take Down again before that Hyper Beam is fully charged!" I directed and Rhydon slammed into Rhyperior, knocking his Hyper Beam off course and I had to dive out of the way to avoid getting hit. "Man, I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes." I said before shaking my head. "Tangrowth, can you reach the top of the cliff?" I asked, looking up to the distance and Tangrowth nodded his head. "Good, grab Paul and get him onto higher ground. Keep him safe and warm. If you see help coming, make sure you signal them." I directed and Tangrowth nodded his head before picking up Paul.

Lifting a hand he stretched out his vines to the top of the cliff then pulled himself off. "You want to go too Pikachu?"

"Pika." He shook his head, smirking at me which I mirrored before turning back to the battle.

"I thought so. Alright! Aggron, counter with Hyper Beam!" I called out and Aggron instantly powered up, countering Rhyperior's Hyper Beam with his own and the two collided in a massive explosion. "Now Rhydon, Rock Slide!" Rhydon powered his tail against a bank and rocks came tumbling down, slamming against Rhyperior who was frozen in place, unable to move after using Hyper Beam. "Great work guys, now use double Take Down!" They both charged forwards and as Rhyperior shook off his head, he looked up only to be slammed into by a double strike, making me smirk proudly. That'll teach him to pick on things smaller than him.

Rhyperior groaned then began to get up, eyes blazing in anger so I pointed with my left hand and Pikachu ran up it to leap off of my shoulder. "Pikachu, Iron Tail with a summersault, maximum power!"

"Pika... _PIKA!"_ Pikachu struck Rhyperior directly on the head, causing it to shudder before groaning and fainting backwards to the ground, making it tremble upon impact. The other two Rhydon finally came around and they squeaked in fear before grabbing their comrade and dragging his heavy butt out of there.

"Alright! That's how you do it!" I cheered then blinked as Rhydon began to glow. "Huh?" I watched in awe as Rhydon changed shape, growing bigger and bigger before finally, he was a fully evolved Rhyperior. "No way…that's so cool!" I gasped before smiling. "Hey guys, I have an idea." I said, walking towards them. "How about you stick around here? It looks like the perfect place for ground and rock types like yourself, I'm sure you'll fit right in." I said, looking at the vast expanse of rocks and mountain areas around us.

"Aggron!" Aggron agreed, smiling and nodding his head and Rhyperior did the same. Well that's all settled. Suddenly I heard the sound of blades cutting through the air and the squawk of a Fearow and I spun around.

Fearow flew over the cliff, leading the chopper and I began to jump up and down, waving like crazy as a voice called down. "We've found the girl and the boy, preparing airlift."

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu called out and I waved with him.

"Here! Down here!" They picked up Paul first before lowering a vest for me and I instantly strapped myself in, keeping a tight hold of Pikachu before turning around. "You take care, you're free now!" I called, tossing their Pokéballs at them and the moment they landed on the ground, both Pokémon stomped a foot down on them, making me laugh as I was lifted up into the air. The two Pokémon waved as I was lifted up and away into the helicopter where a nurse began to check me for any injuries or illnesses.

I was just glad to be out of there. She'd checked Paul and my fears were confirmed. He needed a hospital right away, and apparently I did too for a check up. "But I need to find my friends, they're worried about me." I argued, however the helicopter took us straight there. They tried to take Pikachu away from me whilst I was being examined. HA! You should have seen the chair I'd broken in my fury as they tried to walk off with him. So Pikachu and I stayed together until finally, I was released with minor injuries such as bruises and scrapes.

Pikachu and I went straight to the cafeteria where we scoffed our faces full of food, not caring about manners or the looks we got until I heard a nurse clear her throat. "Ahem." I looked up at her, my face full of spaghetti. "Your friend is going to be just fine." She informed me. "He's a little cut up, bruised and has a nasty fever, but other than that he'll be back on his feet in just a few short days. Whatever you did for him out there saved his life." That's good. Can I finish eating now? "He's awake if you want to see him." Guess not. By the look she was giving me, I could tell I had no choice.

"Come on Pikachu." I said as he finished licking his lips of the ketchup he'd practically inhaled. We followed the nurse who led us to where Paul was being kept, the ward being practically empty save for him. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, so I guessed he must have fallen back asleep.

"Go on, talk to him." The nurse smiled. "He'll be glad to see you when he does wake."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. We hate each other." I answered coldly but she merely gave me a sweet, sickly smile before closing the curtains around us. Pikachu sniffed the air then jumped off my shoulder onto the bed, nuzzling Paul's hand gently before looking at me.

"Pika Pikachu Pi." He said and I nodded my head.

"I know he doesn't look so good. Though considering what we've just been through, you can hardly expect him to look a million dollars." I shrugged then looked up as Paul groaned and shifted. His eyes slowly began to open, darkly surveying his surroundings before they rested on me. I gave him a pitying smirk. "You look like hell." I informed him bluntly and to my surprise, the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"You look worse." He answered then glanced down to Pikachu who waved at him.

"Pikachu!" He beamed then hopped closer, being careful not to stand on Paul before placing a ketchup sachet down on his chest. Paul frowned in confusion so I explained as I picked Pikachu up.

"Pikachu loves ketchup. It's a get well soon gift." I explained. "Listen, if you want me to, I can take your Pokémon to Nurse Joy." I offered. "You see…we kind of got into a battle with some Rhydon and a Rhyperior and I may have…sort of…borrowed your Pokémon." Paul narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "They're really great Pokémon by the way. Top of the range." I added, trying to sugar coat it but Paul still looked hacked off.

"If you think it necessary." He answered, closing his eyes and turning his head away from me slightly.

"Right…I'll go sort that out then." Stepping back I awkwardly stood there. "Get better soon, okay?" Paul said nothing so I took that as my invitation to leave, so I turned around and made for the curtain.

"Thank you." Paul said and I stopped. "For everything." I didn't turn around as I knew there was no point, he wouldn't want me to bother him anymore.

"You're welcome." I answered quickly before leaving him in peace. Once I left the ward I spoke to the nurse and she retrieved the Pokéballs from Paul's valuables, knowing better than to argue with me so I took them to the hospital entrance to walk over to the Pokémon centre opposite.

"RUBY!" I heard a voice yell and I whirled around in time to be tackled by Dawn. "We were so worried about you! We thought you'd drowned or been eaten by something, what happened?" She demanded to know as Brock and Ash joined the hug.

"Pika Pi!"

"Pikachu! I knew you'd be alright, did you keep Ruby out of trouble?" He asked and Pikachu smiled.

"Pikachu Pi Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Ash laughed then hugged his buddy tightly, glad to be reunited before he turned and pulled me close to him.

"Man, you sure gave us a scare." Ash said and I chuckled.

"It's what I do best. Where's Aurora and the others?" I asked.

"In their Pokéballs. Right here." Brock said, handing them over to me and I sighed with relief, glad to have my Pokémon back with me. "That Fearow you sent us found us at the river searching for you. Ash noticed your necktie so we guessed it was a message. We alerted the mountain rangers and they sent the helicopter out to follow the Fearow, though we were told to wait here for you." He explained as Ash pulled out my neckerchief.

"Tah dah!" He proclaimed before tying it back around my neck. "So what did happen Ruby?" He asked and I was about to explain when bright flashes of lights began to flash before my eyes.

"Yes, tell us Ruby, what did happen to you? It's all a strange mystery and the public are dying to know!" A reporter questioned and I blinked as the press began to crowd around me.

"Uh…what?"

"Your story is all over the news." Dawn whispered to me. "They televised your disappearance to alert people in case you were spotted."

"Oh right." I realised, swallowing nervously. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some Pokémon who need Nurse Joy's attention, so all answers will have to wait." With that I grabbed all of my friends together. "RUN FOR IT!" We bolted for the Pokémon Centre where the press tried to follow, however they were blocked by Officer Jenny and some of her men as she herded us inside.

"Come on! We'll keep them off your backs for a while whilst you get some rest." Officer Jenny said and I saluted her as I ran past, making her smile.

"Thanks Officer Jenny!"

"Wow! It's my lucky night!" Brock declared before falling onto his knee. "Please Officer Jenny, arrest me, it has to be a crime to be so in love with…"

"Not now Casanova." I growled, grabbing Brock's ear and dragged him inside the Pokémon Centre whereby he instantly ran to Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy! Please, use these knowledgeable hands to heal the aching of my heart-YOW!" He yelled as Croagunk appeared and hit with Poison Jab, making me giggle. "Of course…other places…ache…too…" He groaned in pain as Croagunk pulled away.

"Hi Nurse Joy, these Pokémon belong to the guy who got swept away in the river with me and they need your help." I said as Nurse Joy nodded her head.

"I'll treat them right away. You'd better let me take a look at Pikachu too."

"Right. You go with Nurse Joy buddy and we'll be waiting right here for you." Ash said and Pikachu nodded his head before jumping onto Nurse Joy's shoulder where she carried the Pokémon out to be treated. "So Ruby, tell us everything." I explained everything from beginning to the end, including the weird dream I had because of Aurora's aura. "Man, that's intense." Ash said, scratching his head before smiling. "Well, at least you're okay and that's all that matters."

"Yeah. We'll be sure to take better care about where we put up camp." Dawn said with a smile. "So this can't happen again." I smiled before stepping back and calling out all my Pokémon.

"Hey guys, you miss me?" I asked as they began to form and the moment they saw me, I was tackled by every single one of them. Aurora plastered herself to me and I giggled as Leafeon, Shieldon and Ponyta all licked my face and neck as Charizard tickled my waist with his snout, making me kick out and squeal on the ground until I was crying with laughter. "Good to see some things never change." I said as I finally sat up and rubbed Ponyta's nose. "I'm sorry I worried you all, but we're all back together now."

"Chimchar!" I was floored once again by Chimchar as he leaped on me, making me chuckle as Ash and let him out to say hi. Guess he'd really missed me too. "Chimchar Char!"

"Were you worried about me?" I asked and Chimchar nodded his head with a sad expression. "Aw, I missed you guys." I said, hugging Aurora and Chimchar close before standing up and putting them both on my shoulders so that I could pick up both Shieldon and Leafeon together, Charizard keeping his head low as he and Ponyta rubbed their heads against me.

Somehow Dawn got a hold of my camera and she started taking photos of me and my Pokémon, making me giggle until Brock confiscated it off of her. Once we'd all calmed down I returned all my Pokémon except Aurora and Chimchar, who clung onto me tightly and refused to let go so we waited for Nurse Joy together.

She returned with a smile, carrying the tray of Paul's Pokémon and Pikachu. "All done. There's nothing to be concerned about. The Pokémon are all fighting fit once more. This Pokéball is Electabuzz, who was left in my care." Nurse Joy explained and I nodded my head, taking them all back.

"Thank you Nurse Joy." I said, glancing at the door where the bright flashing of camera lights could be seen. "Uh…is there a back way out of here?" I questioned and she giggled.

"Sure, follow me!" She led the way to the back where we snuck out then circled around back to the hospital without the press even seeing.

"Why're we going back?" Ash asked so I whacked the back of his head.

"To give Paul his Pokémon back, genius. Duh!" I answered and he grumbled.

"I sure didn't miss this whilst you were gone."

"What was that genius?" I asked quickly and Ash yelped.

"Nothing!" I smirked before walking into the hospital. I went straight up to Paul, the gang following me to find a rather tetchy, irritated Paul being interviewed by several reporters.

"Tell me again, how did you fall into the river?" One of them asked and Paul growled.

"I saw some girl being attacked by a Luxray, so I stepped in with my Electabuzz, but when we hit with a Thunder whilst it used Charge, it blew us off the cliff." He answered. "Now please, leave me alone."

"Just a few more questions son, then we'll leave you be." He promised though I could sense the lie with my aura and Aurora growled as she felt it too. "So, how did you get out the river?" This time Paul remained silent, seeing as he didn't actually know.

"By rope." I answered, folding my arms and glaring as everyone suddenly whirled around and started to take photos of me. "I lassoed a branch and pulled us out before finding a cave. I treated Paul's fever, used his Torterra to transport him, made another camp then tried to sleep through the storm." I began, summarising it all. "When the camp flooded, we escaped on his Luxray, which was a Luxio at the time and carried Paul out of there as he was unconscious, however when I got trapped on the bank, Luxio came back and rescued me, evolving so that he could carry us both away." I retold the tale as briefly as I could and once I was done, I gestured to the exit. "Now please leave, before I lose the last of my patience." But they started to hammer me with more questions.

"What was it like out there? Where you scared?"

"Terrified." I drawled blankly, dripping with sarcasm. What? It was partly true. I was terrified, part of the time.

"Did you and Paul connect out there? Did you develop a special kinship or bond whilst trapped in the wild?" I arched an eyebrow at the reporter as he filmed.

"Are you crazy? It was just a forest. No big deal." I replied. "Now please get out of here."

"Just a few more photos, come and stand next to Paul." I was grabbed and shoved forwards, which instantly sparked Ash's irritation.

"Hey be careful! Ruby needs rest!" He yelled, trying to break through the crowd as I was shoved to Paul's side with Aurora on my shoulder and Chimchar on the other.

"Nah we need the Pikachu, the Pikachu was part of this, come over here little Pokémon, that's a good boy." Lights began to flash before my eyes, making me flinch and slowly, my fists began to clench as Pikachu was snatched away by Ash and placed on the bed. He instantly scampered over to me, looking angry but I rested one hand on his head to calm him down, though my other was now turning white as I clenched it into a fist.

Suddenly a tremor went through the air, rattling the bedside tables and all the instruments that lay around. The monitor trembled, the curtains quivered and everyone went deadly silent as the lights flickered on and off, sensing an angry presence that was me.

However when a hand gently brushed against my fist, I blinked in surprise and all anger was forgotten, making me look down where Paul hand moved his hand to rest against mine, snapping me out of my anger.

"Okay move it! Everybody out let's go! No more pictures or questions. These kids need to _rest_." Officer Jenny emphasized as she and her fellow officers herded everyone out, leaving us kids alone.

"Hey Paul." Ash said as he stepped forwards. "Glad to see you're alright." Paul looked down and away from Ash.

"Whatever. What're you doing here in the first place?" In answer I dropped his Pokéballs into his lap.

"Your Pokémon are all healed and Electabuzz is fine. He's the one who alerted everyone to what had happened, so you should probably thank him." I said before picking up Pikachu. "Let's go guys, I think it's time we all got some rest.

"Yeah. Right." Ash said, glancing back at Paul as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder before finally, he turned away. We returned to a peaceful and quiet Pokémon Centre where we all went straight to bed, though I took a hot shower first, glad to feel fresher afterward.

I snuggled in bed with Aurora, Shieldon and Leafeon, wanting to keep them close for comfort until finally, I fell into a long, deep sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

"So…where do you look for a famous guy?" Ash questioned as we all looked around. We'd heard from TV presented Rhonda that Wallace was hanging around these parts. Wallace, the Hoenn region champion and master rank coordinator. Dawn and I are just dying to meet him. It would be so amazing!

"Well, he has a Milotic, so the most likely place he'd be is near water so that his Milotic would feel comfortable. Come on, the lake's this way." I said, leading the way but before long, we noticed a suspicious mist hanging over the lake.

"What's that?" Ash questioned as we all heard a voice of serene beauty rise up from within its depths.

"Ssh!" I whacked the back of his head. "Quiet genius."

"Could that be…Milotic?" Dawn questioned in a soft gasp as the figure in the mist began to appear. Sure enough, it was Milotic with a voice that could rival my Dragonair's mysterious call. "Ah! It's Wallace!" Dawn gasped, startling Milotic who dove underwater and I looked to see Wallace sitting on a high rock. At first he seemed alarmed, however when we didn't freak out and go crazy, he softened and smiled.

"Well hello there everyone." He greeted politely before jumping down as the mist began to clear. "My name is Wallace, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said with a bow which we all returned.

"Wow…I can't believe I'm actually meeting you!" Dawn gasped, staring wide eyed but with a wider smile so I chuckled and stepped forwards.

"Hello, my name is Ruby. These are all my friends." I said, turning to gesture to them and Ash punched the air in front of him with a smile.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to battle in the Sinnoh league." He explained, making Wallace chuckled before looking to Brock.

"Hi there, I'm Brock, a Pokémon breeder." He said before we all looked at Dawn.

"I'm D…D…D…who am I?" She asked and I gave a little giggle.

"This is Dawn. She's a Pokémon coordinator too and she's competing in the Wallace Cup." I explained and Wallace nodded his head in understanding.

"It's so nice to meet you." Dawn said, snapping to her senses. "We're sorry we interrupted you and your Milotic, but we heard it singing and we just couldn't stay away!" She gushed before blushing, realising she was babbling so she pointed a finger at me to shift the attention elsewhere. "Ruby is a coordinator too! And a Pokémon trainer."

"Is that so?" Wallace asked and I nodded my head.

"I found a love for both contests and battles, so I do both, though this year I'm taking a break with my Pokémon." I answered him with a shrug. "But we are sorry we disturbed you."

"No, no, don't be." He said with a smile. "It's rather refreshing to meet some normal trainers and coordinators for a change." Turning to look at the lake Wallace wore a sad smile. "Ever since I arrived in Sinnoh, my schedule just never seems to end. The talk shows, magazines, radio, even at the hotel the fans are…all over me." He gave a wry little chuckle. "So I pleaded with my staff to give me just one day off to truly relax and have some quality time with Milotic."

I turned to see Piplup, Pikachu and Aurora riding on Milotic, who took them for a fast ride through the lake. "They sure look like they're having fun." Dawn said and Wallace nodded as we all sat on the bank.

"Milotic hasn't looked this happy since we've arrived in Sinnoh. My beautiful Milotic."

"That's for sure, beautiful is right." Dawn agreed, gazing longingly at Milotic as she swam back over to us.

"Why thank you." Wallace said, jumping off his rock and walked over to greet his Milotic, rubbing her head adoringly as he looked back at us. "The most important thing for Pokémon and trainer is kinship, and should you ever forget about that, your Pokémon will never shine."

"You're so right! We feel bad we interrupted you whilst you were taking a break. We won't let anyone know you're here." She told him honestly and Wallace bowed his head.

"That's very kind of you, thank you. I'm honoured to have you as one of our participants in the Wallace Cup, and if you wouldn't mind Dawn, I would love to see some of your contest moves right now." Wallace said, making Dawn leap to her feet with Piplup in her arms.

"Wargh! Right now?!"

"That's great Dawn, what an opportunity!" Brock said as we all stood up too. "You can't pass up an opportunity to let a real contest master watch you work."

"He's right. Think about how ready you'll be for the Wallace Cup." Ash agreed as Dawn began to panic.

"But…but…I…uh…Ruby'll show you! Yeah, Ruby can show you some of her moves!" Dawn tried but I merely smirked and waved a finger at her, one hand on my hip.

"Uh, uh, I'm not the one entering the contest now, am I? Come on Dawn, no need to worry. You've been doing so well recently." I told her before looking up. "Tell you what, how about you battle me. Does that sound good?" I offered and Dawn paused, thinking about it.

"Piplup! Piplup Pip!"

"That's the spirit Piplup." I praised and Dawn blinked.

"Piplup? You want to do it? Okay then. Let's do it!" I faced Dawn with a smirk, standing sideways on as my hair picked up on the wind and she faced me with Piplup. "Alright Ruby, hit us with everything you've got, because it still won't be enough!" I laughed before bringing out a Pokéball as Aurora stood at my side.

"You got it Dawn. Ponyta, it's show time!" Ponyta appeared with a rear and a trumpeting call, tossing his mane before stomping on the ground and Wallace's eyes widened as Ponyta gleamed before him.

"Okay Piplup, you ready? Use Bubblebeam!" Dawn called. I knew it, Dawn almost always starts with that move.

"Wild Charge." I nodded my head and Ponyta stomped a hoof, starting to crackle all over with electricity before powering forwards. "Now release the electricity!" I called out and Ponyta did as I directed. He forged through the bubbles, the electricity bursting them as he ploughed through and they sparkled brightly against his coat, making me smile as Piplup leaped up into the air to dodge. "Flamethrower!"

"Piplup, use Peck with a spin!" Dawn directed and Piplup's beak instantly grew in length as he spread his flippers and dove straight down as Ponyta reared up and blasted Piplup with his green tinged Flamethrower. Piplup cut straight through and ploughed into Ponyta who leaped back just in time, sensing my command before I even need to say it aloud. "Great Piplup, Whirlpool!"

Piplup began to glow bright white, raising the Whirlpool above his head and I nodded my head. "You ready Ponyta? Here it comes!" I called out in warning and Ponyta lowered his head, standing his ground. "Now Solar Beam!" Ponyta lifted his head with a cry, storing up sunlight before blasting the powerful stream straight through the Whirlpool attack, splitting it in half before it caused droplets to gently fall from the sky, shimmering green and blue as Piplup landed on the ground.

Wallace began to clap his hands, an impressed smile on his face and I beamed before running to Ponyta who turned to me. "You were amazing Ponyta, really beautiful." I told him as I rubbed his face proudly.

"You too Piplup!" Dawn laughed, lifting Piplup high up into the air before hugging him tightly.

"I must say, I am very impressed." Wallace said, first turning to me. "I have never seen a more impressive Ponyta. Blue flames…a very special kind. I adored the way you used your opponent's attacks to make your own Pokémon shine. That's how you really score points in contest, as it shows strength and skill." He said to me and I bowed my head respectfully.

"Thank you Wallace." I said and he nodded his head to me.

"Are you sure you cannot be persuaded return to contests immediately? I should like to see what else your Pokémon can do." But I shook my head.

"I'm still learning and training. I'm using this time off to watch other battles and contests to inspire myself for my next attempt at a Grand Festival ribbon cup." I informed him. "But one day, I should like to battle you, both as a trainer and a coordinator." He held out his hand to me and I shook it.

"My Milotic and I shall look forward to the day." He assured me. "Now Dawn, you and your Piplup were wonderful. The way you and Piplup show your moves is flawless, very well researched and rehearsed, but I've heard some things from Brock about Piplup, and I think you may indeed be focusing too much on the moves themselves." He said and Dawn nodded her head, listening carefully. "Think for a moment about Piplup's basic nature. It can't always be about dramatic performances, so I suggest keeping it more natural. Dawn, I was wondering, have you played with your Pokémon lately?" Wallace asked and Dawn blinked.

"Not as much as I should have…you're right! I've been concentrating too much on working and contests. The truth is, I've been thinking only about myself, I've been putting my needs over my Pokémon's needs the whole time! I guess we haven't been playing much at all have we?" Dawn questioned with a smile as she hugged Piplup. I think it now finally made sense to her. It only took several months and a famous master coordinator to get through to her but hey, life's short! Better late than never.

We hung out all day with Wallace before he gave a wonderful demonstration for us with his Milotic, which I think really inspired Dawn. She walked away with a dreamy expression, thinking up new combinations and styles before going completely mad, running around with all her Pokémon in the Pokémon garden and played chase with them until I had to literally carry her inside. She sure was taking Wallace's advice on board. "I can't wait Ruby, I'm really starting to see it now! I know you've been trying to tell me all this time, but it's clicked only just now!" Dawn said as she spun around. "Look out Wallace Cup, because Dawn is on her way!" I chuckled at her enthusiasm before suggesting she get some rest, as it was eleven in the evening.


	30. Chapter 30

Waiting at the docks I continued to pace up and down, Aurora sitting on my shoulder gazing up at all the Wingull in wonder as excitement gnawed at my stomach. Ash had got a call the other night from an old friend and they were coming to the city for the Wallace Cup.

Yup. That's right. May is back! My pacing stopped when I heard a bright calling and I looked up to see a Beautifly flying straight towards us, wings vibrant and beautiful as it head our way. "Hey, a Beautifly!" Ash said as it fluttered around our heads before settling on mine.

"It's beautiful." Dawn said then listened to the information on her Pokédex.

"Hey, don't we know that Beautifly?" Ash asked as I giggled, tickling Beautifly on the chin as she fluttered her wings whilst resting on my head.

"Of course we do! Who do we know has a Beautifly that likes to sit on people's heads?" I questioned then turned towards the see where a boat was coming in to port. A figure stood at the front, waving her arm and as she got closer, I saw May standing there with a bright smile.

"Hi guys!" She called out and I instantly waved back.

"May! You're here!" Beautifly trilled and Aurora began to play with the beautiful Pokémon, charmed and awed by her wings and began to leap after her as Beautifly kept Aurora occupied and played with her. She was wearing a different set of clothes than the ones I remember her wearing. Her headscarf was now green and her shirt was orange instead of red.

The moment May was off the boat I ran over to her and she put down her bags to throw her arms around me as I lifted her off the ground, the both of us laughing as we reunited once again. "Wow! Ruby look at you, your hair has grown so much!" May said as I grinned.

"And you haven't changed a bit. Except for your outfit of course. I love it." I said as May gave me a twirl.

"It's great to see you guys!" She said, turning to Ash, Brock and Pikachu who all smiled at her.

"It's great to see you too."

"Uh…that's a lot of luggage." Brock noted but May giggled with a shake of her head.

"No silly, I brought presents! Here you go, Ash, Brock, these are for you." She said and pulled out two wooden carvings, handing one of a Ursaring to Brock and another of a Teddiursa to Ash.

"Thanks, this is awesome!" Ash thanked as Brock frowned slightly.

"Knowing what it's for would be awesome." He said so I gave him a grin.

"It's not for anything, it's just a home decoration." I explained then blinked as May held out a small slim box for me. "Is this for me? Thanks May!"

"No problem, and for Dawn and Piplup, it's so nice to meet you. I hope you like it." May said as she held out another gift box to Dawn who blinked in surprise.

"Thank you May, that's so sweet." Dawn said with a smile, lifting the lid to find a Piplup pendant settled on a soft cushion, making her squeal instantly. "It's adorable!" Dawn beamed before looking up at May. "I finally get to meet you after all this time. They call you the Princess of Hoenn, right?"

"Stop, you're making me blush." May giggled. "Just call me May." She said before turning to me. "Come on! Open it already!" She urged and I chuckled before lifting the lid. Inside was a beautiful bracelet made from black cord with a plaited pattern made of seven or eight strands.

"May…it's beautiful." I said as I lifted it up, looking at the charms. There was a silver four leaf clover with green on the leaves, a silver rose, charms of a Riolu, Leafeon, Ponyta and a Shieldon and finally, a diamond studded crescent moon with a single star hanging from the top point. My eyes widened slightly and my hand instinctively went to the necklace I wore under my neckerchief. I'd never taken it off because I was so used to wearing it, though I probably should. "Thank you."

"No problem! Here, I'll tie it on for you." She said then looked to Aurora who was hiding shyly behind my legs. "Is this the Riolu Ash told me about? She's adorable!" May squealed as she fastened the bracelet around my wrist to sit beside my two others.

"Uh huh, come on out Aurora, this is May. I told you all about her, remember?" Aurora blinked then hid further behind me, making May smile.

"Never mind, you can hide if you want to. You'll get used to me soon enough." May said before standing upright.

"I guess we've got Wallace to thank for you being here." Ash noted as we all stood together.

"So are you ready to compete in the Wallace Cup?" Brock asked May who nodded her head, looking focused and determined.

"Of course! I've been waiting to do this for such a long time, and as soon as I heard it was going to be in Sinnoh, I came here as fast as I could." She smiled at us all. "But in doing so, I forgot to have lunch, so how about we go find somewhere to eat?"

"That's the May I know." I nodded my head approvingly as I lifted Aurora up onto my shoulder as she continued to try and catch Beautifly. "Always hungry, just like Ash." Laughing happily together we moved off, May pausing to return Beautifly.

"Your Beautifly is so beautiful." Dawn complimented as we left the harbour.

"Thank you Dawn. I caught her as a Wurmple, my first wild catch in fact." May explained then the two began to exchange information about their Pokémon, what they were, where and when they'd caught them and when they'd evolved. We were climbing up some whitewashed steps when Ash finally managed to find a window.

"So what's Max up to these days?" He asked.

"Of course, Max is your little brother, right? Dawn questioned and May looked back over her shoulder as she led the way.

"Right. Max is doing fine, he's hard at work helping to take care of dad's Pokémon. Max is always talking about doing it just like he learned from Brock and Ruby. Needless to say, dad's as proud as he can be." May beamed from ear to ear.

"That's great news May. And to think, in just a couple of months, Max will be ten years old and starting on his own Pokémon journey just like you did when we first met." I said and May sighed.

"I know, he's growing up so fast. I can hardly believe it." She agreed as Ash chuckled.

"I bet I know what starter Pokémon he'll choose, right everybody?" He questioned and we all chorused together.

"A Treecko." We all chuckled together. Max has always expressed how cool he thinks Treecko are and how he's going to choose one for his starter Pokémon the moment he's old enough.

"So May, when did you arrive in Sinnoh?" Dawn asked her as we reached the top of the stairs.

"Three days ago. There was something I wanted to do before the Wallace Cup got started. So first I went to Snowpoint City." She told us mysteriously, smirking to herself as Dawn blinked.

"So what did you do?"

"I'll show you!" She cheered, drawing out a Pokéball. "Now, Glaceon, on stage!" An icy blue Pokémon appeared and instantly beamed up at us with large eyes.

"Wow May! Your Eevee evolved, that's great!" Brock said and I snapped my fingers.

"Of course! I remember now, you said you'd hatched an Eevee from an egg whilst traveling with Ash around the Battle Frontier, and now it's a Glaceon!"

"Glaceon, the fresh snow Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. Glaceon can freeze the fur on its body and make it stick out like sharp needles." Dawn's Pokédex informed us all as Dawn smiled at the Glaceon, kneeling down to its height.

"So cute!"

"See, over near Snowpoint City, there's an ice cave where a huge ice crystal causes Eevee to evolve. Since I was coming to Sinnoh anyway, I thought it would be a great idea to return to the Johto contests with a newly evolved Pokémon." That's right, May's participating in the Johto contests.

"How many ribbons do you have now?" Ash asked and she lifted her head proudly with a smile.

"I've got three of them."

"Three? Nice work." Dawn complimented and May blushed.

"Thanks, but as usual Drew and Harley are as strong as ever and I just can't seem to beat either of them." I picked up on the slight tone of distress in May's voice and she looked at me which instantly informed me that she desperately wanted to talk in private as soon as possible. I glanced at Aurora and together we smiled at May and nodded our heads, assuring her we'd talk.

"May, would you mind showing me your ribbons?" Dawn requested and May pulled them out of her travel bag.

"Sure. Here you go." May displayed them and I smiled at the pretty ribbons. I could tell she'd worked hard for them as they were well polished, meaning she was proud to have earned them. "Ash told me all about you." May said and Dawn blinked before looking back at Ash.

"Yup. Everything." Ash nodded his head in agreement.

"She knows all about how you lost in the appeals round twice in a row and right now you're recharging a bit." Dawn looked slightly embarrassed but a bright smile from May had her smiling again too.

"Hey, chin up! Since I got to Johto it's been one disaster after another for me."

"Wow, you too?" Dawn questioned and May nodded her head.

"So I wanted to compete in the Wallace Cup as a good way to get myself on the contest track. Why don't we both make this our comeback stage?" May suggested and Dawn nodded her head determinedly.

"It's a deal!" Suddenly we all heard Ash's stomach rumbled and May instantly giggled.

"Some things never change."

"Guess I have been kind of hungry for a while now." Ash admitted bashfully as I rolled my eyes with a smile, Aurora mirroring me perfectly.

"Well since its lunchtime, I guess we're all must be hungry." Dawn said but then May gave us a thumbs up.

"I just happened to make reservations at the perfect place. Only the most popular restaurant in Valour Lakefront!" She declared then led the way. "Come on! I'm starving too, so let's go already!" I chuckled before running after May, Aurora jumping down to run with me with her arms spread backwards to keep her balance.

May led us to a flashy looking restaurant, with posh architecture and an appearance that just screamed formal. I feel kind of tacky just looking at it. "This is it?!"

"Pika!" Pikachu gasped then licked his licks, probably thinking all the ketchup you could get in a place like this.

"The Seven Stars restaurant! This is the hottest place to eat in the whole Sinnoh region!" May told us all.

"Wow May, I'm impressed." Dawn said as we all gazed upwards with open mouths.

"May's always had a nose for finding great places like this." Brock said as I heard my stomach growl, demanding foot instantaneously.

"And I've always had the stomach to eat everything those places offered us. Come on! Let's go inside." The doors opened and a waiter in a fine red waistcoat stood there waiting whereby he bowed upon our entrance.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman." He greeted and I smiled.

"I could get used to a place like this." I announced, placing my hands on my hips. "What about you Aurora?" She nodded her head, giving a small sound of agreement before shyly hiding behind me as May looked down.

"Aurora? That's such a pretty name. It suits you." She said and Aurora warmed to May a little, coming out of her shell enough to give May a smile before hiding behind me again, making me chuckle.

"Come on you."

"Reservations for May?" May queried and the waiter nodded his head.

"Yes of course, we've been waiting for you miss May." He answered her. "You have a reservation for five. Please, right this way." He invited and we followed him towards the second set of double doors. If this massive room is the lobby, then I can't wait to see the inside. It's bound to look beautiful!

Suddenly the doors burst open and a guy ran out. "You're leaving?" The waiter questioned politely.

"I'm going to go train some more, but I'm going to eat here if it's the last thing I do!" The guy declared and our waiter bowed to him politely.

"Then we'll be waiting to serve you at another time."

"I won't forget this!" The dude yelled as he ran out the doors and disappeared from sight. That was weird.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asked in bewilderment.

"That young man lost his battle, so of course he wasn't accepted in our establishment." He replied in a soft yet professional tone.

"Battle?" Ash echoed.

"Come with me and I'll explain." We followed our waiter through the doors to find a battle area on the ground, not a table or crumb of food in sight.

"It's a battlefield!" Ash noted so I whacked the back of his head, quickly growing agitated at having to wait for food.

"No kidding genius." I answered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Where's all the food?"

"You see, besides being a wealthy and successful businessman, the owner of this restaurant is an avid battle fan as well. As a result, only those who battle against him and his fiancé and emerge victoriously are allowed to dine here." Tough break.

"That means, if we lose…" Brock began as the waiter turned around to finish for him.

"You'll be leaving with empty stomachs just like the last gentleman did."

"Wow, that's rough." Dawn said but May turned around with her optimistic smile.

"Nah, I think it's fun!"

"If you say so." Ash said before his stomach growled demandingly. "Man…I'm starving!" The doors at the other side opened and we saw a richly dressed lord and lady walk out, seemingly satisfied with their service.

"Those customers were successful in their battle and have just enjoyed a free full course meal." The waiter said and Ash instantly perked up.

"Yeah!"

"When those doors open, I smell the yummiest aroma ever!" May said happily with a dreamy expression as Dawn clenched her fist determinedly.

"So we'll just have to win and that's that." The two people standing at the front walked forwards, looking dapper and smart as they faced us.

"You must be our next customers then." The lady said and her fiancé bowed smartly to us.

"Welcome to the Seven Stars restaurant. My name is Roman and I'm a restaurateur who prides himself on the finest cuisine." He introduced and I arched an eyebrow. A sweet talking charmer yet a professional businessman. Aura says it all.

"And my name is Kylie. I've spared no expense in providing the finest in décor and ambience." His fiancé said to us as she spread out her skirt prettily in a curtsey. Should we curtsey back? I feel like we should.

"So, shall we proceed two at a time with a tag battle then?" The waiter asked. "Though one of you will have to fight a double battle alone. There are an odd number of you." He said and Dawn instantly turned to May.

"May, can I be on your team?" She asked and May nodded.

"Sure! And then we can eat." Brock and Ash glanced at one another and then to me so I held out a hand and waved it, Aurora copying me move for move.

"Don't worry, I'll battle on my own. You boys compete against the girls, I know you want to." Ash instantly took up my offer.

"Okay then, it's a done deal!" The boys stepped up first and a new waiter stood as referee.

"Would everyone please select their Pokémon?" He raised his hand and Brock was the first to make his choice.

"Alright Sudowoodo, let's go!" He called and his happy dancing buddy appeared, saluting his opponent instantly.

"Okay Pikachu, get in there and show them what you've got!" Ash said and Pikachu jumped forwards to stand beside Sudowoodo.

"Ooh nice Pokémon." Roman said as Kylie stepped forwards.

"And now it's our turn!"

"Snorlax!" Roman called.

"You come on out too Munchlax!" Kylie echoed her fiancé and the evolutionary line Pokémon stood together, though Snorlax completely engulfed Munchlax with its sheer size. I looked to May and she giggled, nodding her head as we both remembered her own Munchlax.

"Battle begin!" The referee called and instantly everyone called out their moves. This is going to be so great! I can't wait!

"Snorlax, use Mega Punch!"

"Munchlax, you use Giga Impact!" Wow no way! Those are two powerful moves!

"Pikachu use Volt Tackle!" Ash countered and Pikachu instantly raced for Snorlax as Brock called out his counter as well.

"Sudowoodo use Double Edge!" I bit my lip, watching with anticipation as the attacks closed in. Pikachu avoided Snorlax's Mega Punch with amazing speed, hitting it right in the face as Sudowoodo collided head on with Double Edge against Giga Impact, the two moves colliding and exploding in a large dust cloud as the evolution pair cried out and fell backwards. Huh? Is that it? Well I'm disappointed.

"Munchlax and Snorlax are unable to battle and that means the customers win!" The ref called and Roman stared in horror.

"What?!"

"No! Not my Munchlax!" Guess they hadn't counted on Brock and Ash being such tough trainers, and both Sudowoodo and Pikachu being so strong.

"Next customer please." The ref called so I gave the girls a wink before I stepped forwards.

"I'm ready." I announced, drawing out two Pokéballs. "Alright, Shieldon, Leafeon, show time!" I called and they both appeared before me, ready and attentive.

"Wow! A Leafeon!" May gasped and I turned my head with a smile.

"That's right. You remember the two Eevee that hatched back in Hoenn? Well this is one of them. He evolved into Leafeon when he found a Moss Rock in Eterna Forest." I told May and she squealed.

"So cute! I remember those two Eevee your Vaporeon hatched, they were so tiny! Look at him now!" May fussed and Leafeon turned an ear backwards, signalling he had heard May and was grateful for her compliment.

"Your Pokémon are just darling, but wait until you meet my little bundle of joy." Kylie said to me and I turned back to face them both, ready and waiting. "Marill my dear, come meet our guests!"

"Hippopotas, you too!" Roman called and I faced both Pokémon as they stood their ground. When the ref called for the battle to begin, the pair did not waste any time in launching their attacks. "Use Tackle!"

"Marill my darling, use Water Gun!" I smirked slightly as the attacks went straight for my Pokémon who did not move a muscle.

"Why isn't she saying anything?" Dawn whispered and May chuckled.

"Knowing Ruby, she'll surprise you at the last second." Sure enough, the time was now.

"Dodge." Both my Pokémon shot to the side, moving swiftly to avoid both attacks before I lifted my head and flung out a hand. "Leafeon, use Razor Leaf, Shieldon you use Iron Head, go!" Both Pokémon surged forwards with my directions. Leafeon jumped up into the air and summersaulted, hurtling dozens of fast spinning leaves at Marill who wasn't nearly quick enough to dodge as Shieldon powered into Hippopotas and the both of them were flung backwards, crying out in unison before fainting on the ground.

"The victory goes to the customer!" The ref called and I smiled, kneeling down as my Pokémon ran back to me.

"Great job you two. I knew I could trust you." I said, rubbing their heads before returning them. Next up was Dawn and May. Ash, Brock and I were invited to proceed ahead to place our orders but we decided without even needing to talk with one another that we would eat together or not at all.

Dawn and May were up against a Girafarig owned by Roman and a Driftloon trained by Kylie. Nice pairing, let's see what happens, though I think I can guess the Pokémon May will choose. "As for me? I'm going with Blaziken!" Yup, there he is. He's sure grown up since he was a little Torchic.

The battle was just about to go underway when there was a massive explosion and we all looked up to see the doors being flung open and a waiter stood there coughing, smoke pouring from behind him and out onto the battlefield. "Roman! Somehow every solitary piece of food has been stolen from the kitchen!" Instantly everyone gasped.

"Our food?" Ash asked in horror.

"No way!" But it was May's reaction that was the best. Her eyes literally burned with fire as she stood, enraged by the news.

"I'll tell you nobody steals my food and gets away with it!" Dawn backed away slightly, staring at May's furious stance and expression.

"I think May's turned into a fire type." She said to Piplup as I chuckled.

"And her special ability is Fury, triggered when some idiot tries to steal her food." Walking over to May I took her gently by the arm and led her forwards. "Come on, let's go investigate and see what we can do to help."

"Right." May said firmly then marched forwards. The banqueting hall was a mess, with the wall being completely blown out and most of the tables demolished. Roman fell to his knees as his head chef informed him that even the daily soup had been stolen. There wasn't a single crumb left to eat. "Oh! A travesty! How could this have happened? That food was for the gourmet enjoyment of our victorious customers!" He wailed and May pulled out a Pokéball.

"You got that right, and I'm going to get our lunch back!" May yelled, swinging her Pokéball around as if she were preparing for a third strikeout. She let go and instantly her always hungry Munchlax appeared.

"Munchlax!"

"Pika? Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted and Munchlax turned around with a happy smile.

"Munch!"

"Goodness!" Kylie said with a smile as she admired May's Munchlax. "You have a Munchlax too?"

"Will you call out your Munchlax?" May requested and Kylie did as she had been asked, calling out her own Munchlax and the two stood side by side, almost indistinguishable.

"May, what're you going to do?" Ash asked and May turned a confident smile on him.

"Just watch Ash." She said before turning to both Munchlax. "Now Munchlax, I know you remember that delicious smell of all the food, so I want you to go and follow it."

"That's a wonderful idea! Go ahead Munchie, you help to try find that scent too." Kylie instructed and the Munchlax instantly began to sniff all around the place before May's Munchlax pointed the way having picked up the scent, though Kylie's continued to run back and forth, sniffing the air.

"Hey Kylie, what's wrong with your Munchlax?" Ash asked and she hung her head.

"I guess May's Munchlax just has a better sense of smell." She answered and Brock chuckled.

"Or a better sense of stuffing his face."

"Beg your pardon?!" May yelled at Brock and I laughed, running over to Munchlax with Aurora.

"Just like old times, let's go!" We followed Munchlax who kept his nose up in the air, keeping track of the scent until we finally found the culprits who'd taken all the food. I'll give you a hint. They're greedy, self obsessed and never learn when to quit. Yup. It's Team Rocket.

"No not them!" May cried as we saw them sitting around a table, stuffing their faces.

"Team Rocket!"

"Chubby too." Dawn noted and they instantly began to eat faster, cramming all they could in their mouths until before we knew it, it was all gone. Just gone! Wow, I'm impressed, they're worse than Ash on pizza night.

"You crooks never change. Haven't you clowns learned anything at all?!" May demanded and they leaped to their feet.

"Is that the sound of an obsolete twerpette I hear?" Jessie questioned, cupping a hand around her ear as James answered.

"Your exploration date has passed, my dear."

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars."

"In your ear!" Meowth called as the three of them struck their poses and I sighed, shaking my head as I pinched the bridge of my nose. I cannot listen to this again.

"Aurora, use Quick Attack." I said and instantly she darted forwards with speed. She slammed into Jessie, James and Meowth, knocking them back against the table which collapsed underneath them. No wonder considering all the food they'd just eaten.

"Seviper, get that twerp with Poison Tail!" Jessie yelled, sending out her Pokémon as James leaped to his feet.

"You too Carnivine!" He yelled. "Bullet Seed!" Suddenly both Dawn and May stood in front of me, Pokéballs in hand.

"Let us handle this." Dawn said before they both brought out their choice Pokémon, Buneary and Glaceon. Nodding my head I stepped back and Aurora jumped up onto my shoulder to see better as I stood with the boys, watching as Dawn and May called out together. "Ice Beam both of you!"

Seviper and Carnivine were flung back and I watched as Team Rocket all cried out before being frozen solid in front of a refrigerator which no doubt held the rest of the food inside.

"Now Glaceon, use Iron Tail!" I chuckled. Who'd have guessed May and I would teach both our Eevee evolution the same move when they're both exclusive to Sinnoh. Guess we really did rub off on one another. Glaceon powered forwards and struck with a glowing tail, batting the ice ball up into the air where Dawn then pointed.

"Buneary, use Bounce let's go!"

"Buneary! Bun-Bun, Buneary!" Our little furry rabbit friend called before leaping high into the air and kicking out at the ice ball, sending Team Rocket flying away and I covered my eyes with a hand against the sun, watching as they disappeared from sight.

"Well that was short and sweet." I noted as the girls celebrated together. Buneary hopped over to Pikachu and blushed whilst snuggling up a little, making Pikachu sweat slightly with uncertainty as the girls walked back over.

"Oh you like Pikachu Buneary?" May asked, smiling at the adorable scene as Dawn giggled.

"Buneary is a big fan." She answered.

"You two were great." Brock said to them as they stood side by side.

"It's like you two have been a team forever." Ash agreed and Dawn beamed.

"Thanks! No one messes with our lunch." She answered, looking to May who blushed and giggled a little guiltily, remembering how she'd lost it a little back there.

"It's great inspiration, isn't it?" So we returned the food and as a reward, we were all invited to dine regardless that May and Dawn hadn't battled, but they decided to go for it to pass the time waiting for food, and when they won, it made the victory feast all the better.

We all crashed at the Pokémon Centre where May begged for some of my dessert treats, so I whipped up some ice cream, brownies, cookies and even some fudge for us all, not leaving the kitchen until it was all done and we ate it all until there wasn't a crumb left. Munchlax certainly helped, I think he'd missed my cooking.

We slept in two separate rooms, the girls wanting a private sleepover where we sat up and talked for ages about contests, clothes and all kinds of things, though the fashion stuff I left to Dawn and May. I'm not much of an expert on those kinds of things. It was good to catch up with May, however when Dawn fell asleep, we stepped out onto the balcony where the atmosphere turned a little more serious.

"I've missed having you around Ruby, you were always there to help me out if I wasn't sure on something, but ever since going out on my own, it's been like jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim." May began, her head hung low as Aurora sat on my shoulder, listening also. "I've made so many mistakes it's unreal! I keep on messing up my contests and I just can't seem to get myself back on track. When Ash told me you were here too, I couldn't wait to get back." She looked up at me with teary eyes. "Ruby, I don't know what to do."

"Well that's easy." I answered simply, reaching forwards and pulled her in for a hug. "You calm down, relax, take a deep breath and just let it all go." I told her gently, holding her close and she relaxed into me, resting her head against my shoulder as Aurora helpfully jumped off and sat down on the edge of the table. "Mistakes are important, May. They shape us into who we are because they're the best way to learn." I told her gently, sitting her back down and held her hands. "They also make us stronger, because although sometimes a mistake can break us, it's the point after when we fix ourselves back together we seem to be tougher than before." May gave a small smile.

"I guess you're right. But nothing ever seems to go to plan! No matter how hard we train, I always seem to end up losing to Drew and Harley, let alone Solidad." She added a little bitterly.

"Drew is talented, I'll give him that but he knows it, and that's his weakness. He's proud and one day, he's going to let his vanity get the better of him and that'll be his downfall. Harley is a little messed up. He's desperate to prove himself and put himself out there as the best, and he'll do anything to get there and that is where he'll fall. Cheating never works, you've got to work hard for what you want and someday, he'll regret his choices." I began, leaning back to gaze up at the moon with May. "Now Solidad, from what I hear, is the same to you as Robert was to me. I only met him a handful of times, but every time I did he seemed…unbeatable. Completely invincible."

"I know what you mean." May nodded her head with a sad sigh, so I tossed her a smirk.

"But then I began to notice something." May blinked and looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "Each time I battled Robert, it became harder and harder for him to win and I came closer and closer to winning. That's when I realised that I was still training, and every battle was a test. Even though I may not pass them all, my scores keep on improving and they always did, which means that I'm still learning and still starting to get stronger and better at contests." I talked to the moon, though my words were for May. "And one day, I know that I'll have worked hard enough and long enough to finally beat Robert, and I'll be a master coordinator. Like Wallace."

"Wow, you're right." May said, seeing a reflection in her own battles. "I always come so close, sometimes I lose only by a hairline!" She said and I nodded my head.

"You'll get there May. You just have to be patient. Dreams like this don't come true quickly, sometimes they take years to achieve, but the moment when it happens, will be the best moment of your life." I murmured before looking at her. "And I hope I'm there to see you take that moment." May smiled and reached out, taking my hand.

"I've sure missed you." She said before sighing again, though this time as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulder. "There is…one more thing." She said slowly and I nodded my head.

"I know." She frowned.

"How did you know?" I smirked.

"Please, I don't need to be able to read aura to tell that you're just dying to tell me something. You've got it written all over your face. Go on, tell me everything. I'm all ears." I invited so May took a deep breath, summoning her courage.

"It's about…well uh…you see…" She bit her lip and closed her eyes before blurting it all out at once. "I really kinda like Drew a lot." I turned to look at her, arching an eyebrow.

"It took you this long to realise it?" I asked then chuckled. "May, May, May, you need to start paying attention a little more to yourself rather than focusing so much on training. I'm glad you came to me when you did, or this condition of ignorance could have gotten serious!" I teased and May giggled, hiding her mouth with a hand to try and stifle the sound. "So Drew huh? Tell me everything!" I pleaded so she spilled the beans.

"Well, I've always thought he's a very good looking guy, I mean who wouldn't? But recently I've started getting all these strange feelings whenever I see him." She whispered to me. "My palms start sweating, my tummy feels like its full of Beautifly and I start talking like an idiot until no one can make any sense of what I'm saying!" She gushed before taking a deep breath.

"But you're worried he doesn't feel the same way." I finished for her and she nodded her head. I pursed my lips thoughtfully, glancing to Aurora who shrugged, giving me a look that read 'don't ask, I'm just a kid'. True. "Well, he gives you roses still, right?" I asked and she blushed, nodding her head.

"Yeah, but that's just his thing." She excused.

"Oh I don't think so. Have you ever seen him give another girl a rose?" May thought before shaking her head. "He respects you as a coordinator, seeing as you've grown so much and you're very good at what you do, I know that, but otherwise I couldn't tell you what he really felt." I paused for a moment before giving May a sad smile. "And besides, even if I was close enough to read his aura about his feelings for you, I don't know if I could tell you. They're his personal feelings and technically none of my business."

"I knew you would say that, so I didn't want to ask." May said, blushing again. "I just hope these… _feelings_ go away soon. Sometimes I can't even think straight when he's too close, and I think he's starting to realise it." She admitted so I smirked.

"Then keep him guessing. It's fun when guys don't know what you're thinking. If you want to find out how Drew feels about you, then ask him. Though I doubt you'd get a serious answer, he's so sarcastic all the time." We both giggled at that. "However, try to keep a calm mind, especially when in contest. If you can't think, then neither can your Pokémon. If nothing else, focus on them."

"You got it chief." May saluted me. "Wow, I feel so good right now!" She said, stretching out with a smile. "I knew you'd make everything better. You always knew exactly what to say." I smirked and saluted her.

"It's a gift." I answered before standing up. "And now I say we get some sleep. It's going to be a fun, interesting and very stressful time from now on. We need all the beauty rest we can get." I said and walked in with May but she stopped at the glass doors, thinking a little more as I carried a snoozing Aurora in my arms.

"Ruby…what if he doesn't feel the same way?" She asked me, looking up with those pretty sky blue eyes. The wind lifted and her long hair that permanently rested at the side of her face blew across her face so I reached out with one hand and gently brushed them aside.

"Then he's an idiot and a jackass." I answered her and she blinked at me. "Because he'd be letting go of one of the best girls I know." May smiled gratefully up at me before flinging her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly and I embraced her back like a big sister would, tucking her in close for comfort as I rested my head against hers. "Just remember, I'm always here for you May. You can always count on me."

"I know Ruby. That's something I always remember, even when I'm standing right next to Drew." She replied with a chuckle before we both head inside and climbed into bed, turning off our lights and found a restful, regenerative sleep that we both desperately needed.


	31. Chapter 31

I helped Dawn, May and Zoe get ready for their first appearance in the Wallace Cup, holding clothes, accessories and stuff until they were all ready. Well, almost. "Agh! Big need to worry!" Dawn squeaked, staring in horror at her hair which stood wildly around her head, sticking out in all angles as I chuckled and Zoe sighed.

"Not again." She said as I walked over and stood behind Dawn.

"Help me Ruby! It's all going wrong!" She worried as I took the brush and began to carefully comb through her midnight hair as Aurora sat on the desk with Piplup.

"No need to worry. I'm on it." I said with a smile as I put the brush down and sprayed some de-frizz onto her locks then began to sort it into a neat style. "It's a good thing my mom always used to put my hair up as a kid and let me play with her hair, at least I know what to do." I said as Dawn trembled slightly. "Otherwise we'd be in a fix."

"Dawn, you were just like this at your debut." Zoe said with a smile and a shake of her head, the three of us crowding around behind her as I continued to work her hair into order.

"You're nervous?" May questioned in surprise.

"I'm just worried about whether I can still do a good job or not." She answered but Piplup merely took a confident stance, looking confidently up at his trainer.

"Piplup Pip." He emphasised and I smiled down at him.

"Exactly what I want to see Piplup." I winked then looked at Dawn in the mirror. "Now Dawn, remember that you don't need to be nervous because you're not the one performing, it's your Pokémon, and they'll only be nervous if you are, so relax! There is no need to worry." Hair all finished I stepped back and nodded my head in satisfaction. "There, now you're stage ready. You three all look great." I paused and looked out the door. "I just hope Ash likes the outfit I picked out for him."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on before they all start without us." Zoe said, gesturing for us to follow and she led us out of the dressing room to the main suite where all the contestants gathered. I paused and held out my hands, smiling as Aurora jumped into them and I placed her on my right shoulder and carried her after the others. I stuck close to May and Dawn, helping pull them through until we stood at the front, watching the screen where we found Brock and Ash with Pikachu. "Hi guys."

"Hey! You girls all look amazing." Brock complimented as Ash gave me a thumbs up.

"Great choice Ruby, I love the suit." He said, giving a stylish twirl as Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder to hang with me whilst Ash struck a pose, showing off his smart outfit I'd bought and altered for him with Brock's help. "What do you think?"

"You look very smart, but you could have at least combed your hair." I said but Ash merely winked.

"Nah, I'm wearing posh clothes, isn't that enough?" We all gave him a look, obviously telling him that no, it wasn't enough. "Oh well. Too late now! You take care of Pikachu for me okay?"

"Of course! Pikachu and I love hanging out with one another. Right buddy?" I questioned and Ash beamed as I rubbed his chin in his favourite spot.

"Chuuuu!" He said and Aurora smiled as she reached across and poked Pikachu on the side, making him jump before turning a smile on her and he wiggled his tail in front of her face as she leaned closer, brightly smiling as he tickled her with it.

"Great. You make sure you behave Pikachu and do whatever Ruby says, got it?"

"Pikachu!" He answered as the show started and I folded my arms with a smirk.

"If anyone needs to be on their best behaviour it's _you_ , genius. You're going to be on stage any minute now, so no spectacles other than the ones we rehearsed, got it?"

"You got it chief." He saluted before we turned to watch Wallace enter the stadium in style with his Milotic. May hurried away to take her place as the first contestant and I waited with anticipation to see her performance. She ran on stage in a beautiful dress and headdress, one we'd picked out together when I'd gone to find Ash his performance suit.

"Wartortle now! On stage!" She called and she flung out her Pokéball which spun swiftly before releasing a spray of pink bubbles and her Wartortle appeared, shell freshly polished as it landed on its tail then sprang back onto its hands, teetering playfully as May struck her pose.

"Wartortle cool!" Ash said as we all smiled.

"To think that used to be May's little Squirtle." Brock said as I nodded my head.

"I remember you guys telling me. It used to cry all the time and hardly ever let go of May." Looking at it now, I can tell she's raised it well with lots of love and care. May sent Wartortle into a Rapid Spin, skipping across the water which sent the crowd wild with cheering at the cute display. "Great job May." I whispered as I continued to watch.

"Aqua Tail!" May called and Wartortle jumped up into the air, its tail poking out where it glowed a soft blue before shooting powerful streams of water up into the air.

"May and Wartortle look fantastic out there!" Ash said as we all smiled up at the big screen.

"They got the timing of that Aqua Tail down perfectly." Brock agreed as Zoe gave an approving smile.

"And May is doing a fabulous job showing off her Wartortle's beautiful tail." Wartortle finished by striking the water, sending a great plume outward in a shockwave before jumping back on stage where he stood on his tail and gave a little squirt to create a pretty rainbow over both their heads, striking the final pose which the crowd answered with thunderous applause and cheers.

May was a knock out, and so were Ash and Zoe. Zoe had caught a new Pokémon especially for this contest, a beautiful Finneon which the crowd adored. It was Dawn I worried about, however, seeing as she was still so nervous. Her aura was completely shaken, enough so that it put me on the edge, but after a wake up call from Piplup's Bubblebeam, she was good to go.

"Thanks Piplup. I needed that." It made me laugh.

"I remember when I first started with contests, I would get so nervous that Jigglypuff would have to Double Slap me out of it." I told Dawn as I carried Piplup in my arms, the three Pokémon joining us as I walked her to the door. "But every time I saw how confident she was on stage, it gave me the boost I needed to calm down too. You've made a great choice with Ambipom as your first Pokémon, she loves the stage and will help break the ice. So go out there and remember to smile." I said, giving a wave as she walked out with a confident stride.

"I can do this. No need to worry." With Aurora, Pikachu and Piplup all bundled around me I turned and walked back inside.

"How's she doing?" Brock asked as I returned to my place with all my friends, waiting for Ash to get back and Dawn to appear on screen.

"She'll be fine." I nodded my head assuredly. "Ambipom will take care of everything." And she sure did. Dawn and Ambipom were amazing, completely taking all attention from the crowd and completely dominated the stage. It seems she's finally got her confidence back. About time too, I was starting to worry.

When the results came through, Dawn had gripped onto Piplup so hard that she'd almost crushed him until finally, the pictures of all the contestants appeared and everyone's face smiled down at us, causing a celebration to break out among us all. "See? You all made it through!" Brock said as Dawn spun around with Piplup.

"We made it! We're through! We did it Piplup!" She cheered as I looked to Aurora then nodded my head.

"So guys, how about we celebrate with some ice cream?" I suggested as the competition stopped for the day. We all got large cones of ice cream, Brock and I taking care of the finance to treat the others like they deserved and later in the evening, Zoe swung by for some girl time as we all sat down and talked. When Dawn mentioned how her mom had been a top coordinator, May blinked in surprise.

"Wow Dawn, having a mom for a coordinator must have put you on the contest path really early." She said and Dawn nodded her head.

"Yeah, I even begged her to teach me her awesome recipe for poffins."

"So you've wanted to be a coordinator since you were little?" Dawn nodded her head again as Zoe tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Hey May, what about you?"

"Well let's just say I had a little trouble dealing with Pokémon in the beginning." May admitted with a little blush. "But once I started learning about contests and how fun they were, I was hooked!" I gave a little chuckle.

"Yeah, May didn't really like Pokémon at the start of her journey. You should have seen her trying to pick her first Pokémon." I said with a smirk. "She didn't like the water type because it was mischievous and the grass type looked creepy. In the end she went for Torchic, the cutest of the bunch which is now Blaziken." I explained as May gave me a smile.

"Well at least I love Pokémon now. I have you and Ash to thank for that. Without you two and your enthusiasm for all Pokémon, I don't know if I'd even be here today." She said so I just shrugged.

"Hey it's no big deal. You would have found your way even without me. Some things are just meant to be. Right Aurora?" I questioned and she nodded her head up at me, smiling as she sat in my lap.

"What was your first Pokémon Ruby?" Zoe asked me and I grinned.

"I picked a Charmander. It looks like this." I pulled back my sleeve and showed her the Charmander charm on my bracelet as well as the two evolutions. "I raised him all the way up to a Charizard. He looks tough and a little mean, but he's the biggest softie you'll ever meet."

"That's right. If you rub his belly whilst he's relaxing in the sun then he'll be your best friend forever." Dawn agreed as May giggled.

"I remember you taking Max and I for flights at night and sunset. Those were the most magical moments of my life. There's nothing quite like flying." She said as she looked around us all. "Ruby gave me an Altaria, who I'm still training with, and I love flying around on her back because it's so warm to curl up on." She said and I nodded my head.

"That's right, I almost forgot. How is Altaria?"

"She's fine. She's at home with mom at the moment, I didn't feel ready enough to bring her to such a huge competition like this as she's still training, but I won one of my ribbons with her before so she's definitely growing strong." May informed and I was glad to hear it. "How's Kiki?"

"Absolutely spoiled rotten. My mom loves him to pieces." I chuckled. "Dad has to monitor how many treats she gives him. I think they really love having a Pokémon back in the house, seeing as I took Pidgeot with me when she was just a little Pidgey."

"That's great." May said but both Dawn and Zoe were frowning.

"Who's Kiki?" Zoe asked me so I found a picture.

"There. He's my Delcatty, but he's more of a house Pokémon than a battler or contest performer. He loves the quiet life and the warm fire so I left him at home with my mom." I explained before May continued.

"Ruby rescued both Kiki and my Altaria from this horrible girl at the Grand Festival. Sophia Winthrop. They battled against one another and Ruby won, which completely set Sophia off in a rampage and she abandoned both of them on stage, leaving them behind." May said and both Dawn and Zoe gasped.

"That's terrible!" Zoe exclaimed as Dawn hugged both Piplup and Buneary to her.

"Yeah, that's so mean! How could anybody do that?" Dawn demanded to know. "If I ever meet that Sophia, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" I chuckled at that. Unfortunately for Dawn, she'd have to get in line.

"I know. Anyway, Ruby took both Pokémon to the Pokémon Centre then gave me Altaria after talking with her and finding that she really wanted to do well at contests but kept Kiki for herself as he'd really taken a liking to her." May finished. "Ruby and Sophia have been rivals for a long time now, ever since she first started her journey in Kanto."

"Yeah. I first met her abandoning an Eevee who's now my Vaporeon." I gave a soft sigh, rubbing Aurora's head. "It seems I keep on taking all of her Pokémon from her. If this keeps up, I'll have too many to count." Zoe gave me a smile.

"Well, better they go to you then stay with that awful trainer. I can't imagine ever treating any of my Pokémon that way, I'd rather bite off my own fingers than abandon them." Shaking her head we all sat there in silence for a moment, a little put out by our conversation until Munchlax suddenly dove for the food we'd gathered for ourselves, planning on a little midnight feast.

"Munchlax! Munchlax Munch!" He gobbled it all down, shoving Dawn and May aside to gulp it in one.

"Munchlax no! That's for everybody!" May cried out but the rest of us all cracked up laughing, sitting there in our pyjamas with a greedy little Munchlax chomping down everything until there wasn't a crumb spare. May was not impressed. "You bad Pokémon! I've told you, you can't eat what you want, you've got to ask first! Better yet, try not to think only of your stomach!" May scolded before returning him. "Great. Now we've got nothing to eat!" She complained, dropping back to her knees and hung her head.

"Don't worry May. I've got something that'll cheer you up." I said, standing up then walked to the balcony. "Hey Zoe, you ever flown before?" I asked and she just blinked at me as I smirked then called out Charizard. "Climb aboard!" I called and Aurora squealed excitedly. She loved flying with Charizard.

"Alright! Let's go!" May cheered, running to the balcony then jumped onto Charizard's back as he hovered at the edge, keeping himself up in the air as Zoe and Dawn walked over cautiously.

"Is it safe?" Zoe asked and I laughed loudly.

"Not with me driving. Come on!" Charizard flicked out his tail and flipped them both up into the air, crying out in alarm as both Piplup and Buneary jumped on for the ride. Once they'd both landed safely on his back, I pointed up to the sky. "Alright Charizard, let's see what you've got!" He roared loudly, shooting his Flamethrower up into the sky before following after it, shooting forwards swiftly and May clung to my waist as she squealed with laughter.

Buneary jumped to the front with me as Dawn clung to Piplup, the two of them clenching their eyes tightly shut as Zoe yelled in fear and horror as Charizard began to spin, shooting up higher and higher until finally, he broke through the clouds. "Wow…now this is…beautiful!" Zoe breathed as Buneary's eyes widened.

Charizard sailed smoothly, wingtips gracing the clouds gently as he flew among the stars, the moon shining brightly overhead as he took us on a midnight flight. "It's like I can reach out and touch them." Dawn said, lifting a hand to the stars as Piplup stared with awe.

"Buneary…" Buneary said as I kept a good hold of her.

"Welcome to my world." I said as May leaned against my back, resting her cheek there as she sighed.

"I've missed this." She said to me. "Promise me you'll come travelling with me again one day, and that you'll visit me in the Hoenn region as often as you can." I turned back my head and caught her eye with a twinkle.

"You'd be stupid to try and keep me away." I promised before letting Charizard carry us higher, a stretch of colour bursting into life as the lights began to dance across the sky, causing us all to stare with wonder as I captured our faces expertly on camera, turning the lens to face us and we all grinned before I took the photo. We flew a circle around the lake before Charizard lowered us down to its surface and turned over, letting us trail our fingers in its silky folds as Pokémon leaped out to join our flight, making us giggle as a splash of water hit our faces before Charizard turned over and skimmed the surface, taking us back to the hotel where we all bundled our bedding on the floor, sleeping close together like close friends that had just grown closer.


	32. Chapter 32

The Wallace Cup was definitely an event I'll never forget. It was great to see all of May's Pokémon again. Skitty had grown a lot stronger since I'd last seen her, and little Bulbasaur wasn't so little anymore. She'd evolved into a Venusaur and I even gave May some tips on how to keep its foliage looking vibrant and healthy looking, having spent a lot of time with Ivysaur and keeping him in shape.

Ash and Zoe were both amazing contestants, though unfortunately Ash didn't make it to the semi-finals. Although he pulled off the ice Aqua Jet perfectly, it still wasn't enough to take him through and then Zoe later lost to May and her Beautifly. It finally came down to May and Dawn, and quite honestly, I didn't know who would win. May had experience and skill, but Dawn was determined and also very focused.

It was Piplup verses Glaceon and I was impressed with the range of attacks it knew. But man, what a battle! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, completely silent as I didn't know who to cheer for, so I just watched in awe. It was fast paced and explosive. It was also one of the longest five minutes of my life. Aurora stared too, completely spellbound by the battle and when it was over, she cheered then pointed to the stage, making me blink. "Huh? You want to battle like that someday?" I asked and she nodded her head, making me chuckle as Dawn was announced the winner. "Well, if we train hard then I know we'll get there."

Standing up with everyone else I cheered loudly, whistling and waving with a grin on my face until finally, we were allowed to run down and see Dawn and May. May was a good sport, congratulating Dawn on her victory and didn't seem too put out that she'd lost, whereas Dawn seemed to still be in shock at her win of a second ribbon. Piplup was kicking up his feet in celebration and Aurora jumped down to grab his flippers and spin around with him, making him cry out in alarm before Pikachu calmed my excited little Aurora down and the three of them cheered together.

"I still can't believe it. I won! I actually won my second ribbon." Dawn said over and over again as the boys congratulated her, and I went over to May and Glaceon.

"How do you feel?" I asked her and May took a deep breath before letting it out and smiling.

"Like a new person! I'm ready for my next contest, no doubt about that!" May said to me as I bent down and picked up Glaceon, tickling his belly to cheer him up.

"That's great May. I think a battle like that was exactly what you and Dawn needed to get back on track." I said, looking over to Dawn as she danced around, spinning on the spot with joy. "It was a great battle, you should both be proud of yourselves."

"I am, you can be sure of that." May winked at me as she took Glaceon from my arms. "And I'm proud of you too. The next contest is going to be ours for sure." She said determinedly and I nodded my head, looking at both the girls as Zoe tried to calm Dawn down, but she was way too happy to calm down right now, so we just let her be.

Brock cooked us up a big meal to celebrate with me handling dessert and Zoe joined us, where we all had a laugh and enjoyed one another's company. I didn't want the evening to end, as I knew when it did May would have to go, so I was sure to get plenty of photos of us all, including Zoe who Dawn dragged into the frame as well.

As I watched May go, waving to us all, I felt a little downhearted. Seeing May again made me realise how much I miss her and Max. Now that I think of it, I miss Misty so much too. I think I'll have to arrange a get together for us all. Maybe a holiday break on a resort island? That could be fun, and we'd all be together again.


	33. Chapter 33

With Ash training hard, Aurora and I meditated together to focus our energy and work on building up mental strength. Aurora was still very young and I didn't want to make her battle too hard too early, so we were starting small and working our way up, though I knew she could handle anything I threw at her. She was tough like that.

However when trouble struck with an out of control Gligar, all hell broke loose as he was carried away on a strong wind. "Gligar no!" Ash yelled before spinning around. "Staravia, go after him!"

"Star! Staravia!" She called before soaring up into the sky and followed after Gligar before returning and leading us to him. I was shocked to see Paul there, looking a lot better than when I'd last seen him. Aurora walked at my side, a serious expression on her face as she sensed my unease at seeing Paul again.

"Gligar! We were worried about you." Ash said as Gligar flung himself on Ash, teary eyed with both relief and slight fear of Paul. Don't blame him to be fair. All of Ash's Pokémon were out, which means when Chimchar saw Paul, he instantly hid behind me, jumping up and clung to my bag as I blinked.

"Chimchar? What's the matter?" Glancing Paul's way I smiled back at Chimchar and pulled him around into my arms. "Don't be scared, you're with us. It's going to be alright." I assured him then tickled his belly, making him giggle slightly before I let him settle on my shoulder.

"Did you have your Pastoria battle gym challenge yet?" Ash asked but Paul merely shot Ash a hard glare.

"I can't imagine why a loser coordinator like you would have any concern about gym battles." He said coldly and Ash instantly sparked, growing angry at Paul's insult before he calmed down a little after I'd placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Paul what do you mean?" Dawn asked him.

"I saw the Wallace Cup." He answered simply and Ash placed his hands on his hips, smirking slightly.

"I entered the Wallace Cup because Wallace the contest master asked me to. He thought it would help Buizel's battle skills." He explained and Paul smirked to the ground, making us all frown at him suspiciously as he gave a short laugh under his breath. "What's so funny?" Ash demanded to know.

"Remember the reason I entered the tag battle in Hardhome City?" He questioned and Ash nodded his head. "Well you gave me a hard time because I did it to get my Pokémon in shape for a real battle." Suddenly Paul's voice rose a little with a hard edge, making me blink in surprise. "But that's exactly what you pulled at the Wallace Cup!"

"What did you say?!" Ash demanded and I grabbed his arm and wrist, keeping him grounded back as he moved forwards.

"Easy genius, try to keep your cool." I murmured quietly as Aurora pulled on his leg to lend me a hand.

"When I entered that contest the only thing I was thinking about was trying to win it, the only thing you were thinking about was powering up your Pokémon!" Ash yelled back at Paul who remained as unaffected as ever.

"Well the fact is I did win it." Paul returned easily. "But you weren't able to win the Wallace Cup, were you? Just another example of how strong you really aren't." Ash tensed, going completely stiff as he glared at Paul, trying to contain his anger and I took a step back with a nervous glance to Brock who reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder as Chimchar whimpered with worry.

"Look, we both have the same goal of winning the Sinnoh League, right? And of course we both want to beat the Sinnoh League champion Cynthia too." Ash began, somehow keeping all anger out of his tone.

"Your point?"

"After you battled Cynthia, you told me to do whatever I want. To battle my own way, and you told me that was what you were going to do too." Ash continued. Where's he going with this? I don't get it.

"I…guess I said that."

"Yeah well, ever since that time I've been thinking more and more about what it means to be strong. And that means believing in the strength of my friends, and that's because I trust and love them!" Ash declared and all his Pokémon beamed up at him. Even Chimchar came out from hiding behind my shoulder, giving a bright smile at Ash as he stood his ground. "That's why I'm working to make my Pokémon as strong as they can be. The way _I_ know how. We both have the same goals but the way we get them couldn't be more different."

"You sure can get worked up." Paul smirked and Ash made forwards but this time Brock held him back and Aurora leaped forwards, standing in between Ash and Paul with both hands held out, telling them to stay away from one another and I stepped out to join her.

"Ash, just leave it okay?" I said to him, giving him a firm look before turning to Paul. "And you, you just leave Ash alone. You two may be trainers and working to become stronger, but the way I see it, you're missing out on a huge part of raising your Pokémon by not trying to bond and connect with them." I said as Aurora stood by my side. "They're all amazing creatures and they'll never stop surprising you, which is why I work to try and understand all my Pokémon as best I can, because I love them too." Paul arched an eyebrow as Aurora nodded her head and the Pokémon behind me cheered once more, Pikachu leaping up onto my shoulder and licked my cheek affectionately, making me give him a smile before I turned back to Paul. "Remember what Cynthia said? How we'd all become stronger in our own ways and the tablet she read to us? Didn't that mean anything to you?" In answer, he turned his head away.

"That's not my thing." We all gaped at him. How could he be so…heartless? He's infuriating! "You're all wasting my time." He announced then turned around and began to walk away, however Ash didn't want to let him off so easy.

"Not so fast Paul, I want to show you how strong we've gotten!" He called out but Paul kept on walking. It was Chimchar who made him stop. When he ran out and began to call after Paul with a determined look and confident voice, Paul stopped and looked back. Finally he smirked.

"Fine by me. How does three on three sound?" Ash ran forwards and knelt beside Chimchar.

"You got it." He then turned to Chimchar and gave him a grateful smile, rubbing the top of his head. "Thanks Chimchar." He said before turning to the rest of his gang. "Let's do it everyone!" They all cheered in response and I stepped back, Aurora making a backwards leap and stood at my side as I watched Ash psych himself up. The first attack was decided by coin toss and it went to Ash, who turned and knelt before all his Pokémon. "Now, who should I start with?" He questioned and Gligar instantly began to jump up and down, flapping his arms wildly.

"Gligar! Gli Gligar!" He called out, begging to be chosen and we both admired his battling spirit.

"Okay Gligar, I like your attitude. This will be your first battle." I held my tongue but I looked down to Aurora who read my concern. Gligar was still young and very inexperienced, whereas I knew all of Paul's Pokémon were trained to be hard core battlers. Would Gligar be okay? "Gligar is going to be my first choice!" Ash announced and Paul smirked. This is going to end badly.

"And foolish too." Paul noted as he swung his arm, letting out his first Pokémon. "Now Gliscor, standby for battle!" When Gliscor appeared, Gligar didn't look so confident as he had before. He looked terrified.

Ash started Gligar off with X-Scissor and our little friend leaped up into the air, pincers glowing brightly as he glided towards Gliscor, who Paul ordered to use Knock Off. Without even trying Gliscor jumped up, using the spring in his tail and hammered a heavy pincer straight down onto Gligar's head, knocking him straight to the ground where I could hear him snivelling with tears in his eyes. "Come on Gligar, Sand Attack!" Ash directed and Gligar snapped out of it, jumping back to his feet and swept the sand up at Gliscor who took each hit without even flinching.

"Use Guillotine." Paul directed and Gliscor jumped back up into the air over the dust cloud then dove straight down, holding out one pincer as it glowed bright white and Ash was quick to counter.

"Quick, use Steel Wing!" He called and Gligar sprang upwards, however before he could land his attack Gliscor had a firm grip around him and they plummeted to the ground, causing Gligar a lot of damage and I took a deep breath as the dust swept away to reveal Gligar unmoving on the ground. "Oh man, Gligar!"

"With just one hit?" Dawn murmured and Brock folded his arms.

"You see Guillotine is a move that will instantly knock out your opponent if it manages to make contact. Paul's a tough one." Ash carried Gligar back over to the ground with a nod to me so I knelt down beside Gligar as he put the teary eyed Pokémon down.

"Come on, you did your best. Don't cry." Ash said softly and all the others cheered for Gligar, instantly making him feel better as I made a quick check to make sure he wasn't too badly injured.

"Now might be a good time to let your Gligar know that a loss is the trainer's fault." Paul said and Ash turned a glare back at him before taking a deep breath and calming down.

"Kay, you stay here and cheer for the rest of us." Ash said and Gligar nodded his head.

"Now, Ursaring. Standby for battle!" Paul ground out and I flinched slightly as his giant Pokémon appeared with a roar. Suddenly Chimchar flit past me and stood by Ash, calling up to him.

"Char, Chimchar!" He said and Ash blinked down at him.

"You want to go next?" He asked and Chimchar nodded his head determinedly. I took a deep breath, glancing between Chimchar, Ash, Ursaring and Paul. I think Chimchar is doing this for Ash. He wants to prove how strong he is, and show Paul how wrong he was about little Chimchar. "Okay, Flamethrower now!" Chimchar instantly launched his attack but amazingly, Ursaring crossed his arms and took it head on, letting it blow him back a few feet but otherwise didn't show it's affect at all.

"Focus Blast." Ursaring hit Chimchar with a powerful sphere, which Chimchar tried to hold back but exploded against him regardless, making me jump slightly with worry at the loud explosion but then the smoke cleared to reveal Chimchar apparently unharmed. Yeah! Way to go Chimchar!

"Awesome the way you took that! Now use Dig!"

"Hammer Arm, on the ground!" Paul directed and Ursaring instantly hammered its fists against the ground, causing it to shudder and I wobbled on my feet before both Aurora and I held our ground, keeping upright as we narrowed our eyes towards Paul.

Chimchar shot out of the ground, taking serious damage from the blast before Ash called for Flame Wheel and Chimchar shot down. "Catch that." Ursaring caught Chimchar then stopped the flames, holding Chimchar close to its face as it roared.

"Oh yeah? Use Scratch!" Ash yelled but Paul merely countered with Secret Power. I could feel Chimchar's fear as he looked up at Ursaring and I felt like stepping in and stopping the battle. I almost did but Aurora held out an arm, stopping me in my place so I took a deep breath and continued to watch. Chimchar had to see this through. He can do it. Chimchar was hit with Ursaring smashing his head against him and was flung back to the ground, and when Ash called for Flamethrower, Chimchar was frozen in place. The Secret Power attack had obviously made Chimchar flinch with fear. He couldn't move!

"Are you sure it's the Secret Power that's got you so scared?" Paul taunted and Ash growled at him darkly before turning to Chimchar.

"Come on Chimchar, snap out of it!" All the Pokémon cheered for Chimchar, trying to break him out of his fear so I stepped forwards too.

"I know you can do it Chimchar, we have faith in you! Just trust your own strength, you've got it in you!" Chimchar looked at me then to Ash.

"You've got your chance to counter attack, so let's do it!" Ash said as Paul called out.

"Hammer Arm." Ursaring leaped up with glowing arms, lifting them high and Chimchar looked at the oncoming attack, still frozen in fear. As the attack came crashing down, I shook my head and ran forwards, crying out.

"Chimchar!" Ash grabbed me to keep me from getting hurt, holding me back as Chimchar was struck with the powerful attack and rocks were torn up from the ground before landing all around him. "NO! Chimchar! Chimchar!" I yelled, struggling against Ash but then I froze in place, feeling a burning aura spark into existence. It was powerful, almost frightening, and it was coming right from where Chimchar was buried.

Suddenly the ground quaked and everyone gasped as the rocks broke apart and Chimchar launched himself up into the air, burning brightly with exalted flames and instantly my eyes widened as Aurora stared. So that's Chimchar's Blaze…incredible! "You're alright!" Ash cheered as Chimchar landed on the ground, looking perfectly terrifying as he screamed aloud and streams of fire flew out from his tail.

"What the…what happened?" Ash questioned before shaking his head. "Chimchar, full power Flame Wheel, let's go!" He called and Paul tried to counter with Focus Blast, but Chimchar powered straight through it and knocked Ursaring out in a single hit.

When Chimchar landed on the ground again, he continued to go berserk. It was like looking at an entirely different Pokémon from the sweet tempered Chimchar I knew. The flames only grew hotter and he continued to scream up at the sky, hammering his fists and instantly I worried he was going to hurt himself. "He's out of control!" I yelled. "Ash, he can't stop this!"

"Chimchar, _stop_ it!" Ash ordered forcefully but Chimchar only powered at Ash with his Flamethrower and I was quick to move. Aurora jumped with me, both of us leaping out in front of Ash and held out our hands, forming a protective barrier in front of everyone to deflect the Flamethrower, though the moment it hit I cried out and was flung backwards into Ash who caught me. "Ruby!"

"That was so intense…I could barely hold it back!" I whispered in shock, staring at Chimchar as he started to blaze around the place uncontrollably.

"Paul look out!" Ash called and Paul quickly moved out the way as Chimchar went on the rampage and a fire sprang up from the bushes, lightning up brightly and suddenly as if it had been struck by lightning.

"Quick Piplup, Whirlpool!" Dawn ordered and Piplup instantly doused as much of the flames as he could as Ash called for Buizel.

"Buizel, Water Gun go!" Buizel showered down the trees until all the flames were out and the Pokémon all moved to block off Chimchar, trapping him on a rock where Ash ran forwards and grabbed him. "Chimchar stop! Please!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu gasped with worry as Ash clung onto Chimchar, yelling as he struggled to maintain a grip. When Chimchar's teeth sank into Ash's shoulder, I cried out and launched myself forwards.

"Ash no!" I ran forwards and flung my arms around the both of them as the fire began to get out of control once more. I ignored the pain that danced around my arm as I wrapped it around Chimchar then locked us inside a shield, keeping the fire under control and everyone else outside. "Chimchar wake up! Ash, Ash let go! Let me get through to Chimchar!" I yelled but Ash refused to let go, so I closed my eyes and tried to focus as he yelled.

Together we broke through Chimchar's rage, my aura settling over him in a calming, soothing way as Ash's desperation snapped Chimchar awake. Taking a deep breath I sighed with relief as the flames began to die down and I dropped the shield, letting a cool breeze wash over us as Chimchar blinked. "Wow, that was intense, but you're okay now." Ash said as he let go of Chimchar. I noticed some blood where Chimchar had bitten through on his shoulder and when I moved my arm, I flinched slightly, finding it red and badly burnt. Not my best move I'll grant you.

"Chim? Chimchar!" Chimchar gasped, seeing my burn so I hurried to reassure him.

"I'm fine Chimchar. It's all good." I said, sinking to the ground with exhaustion as Aurora ran over and flung her arms around me and I held her close as I continued to smile at Chimchar. "I raised Charizard, I'm used to burns like this and worse." But Chimchar felt ashamed. He hid his face in his hands and turned away, shaking with fear.

"Hey Chimchar, you were great. I guess you just surprised us with all that power you've got." Ash said, reaching out and rubbing Chimchar's head gently as Paul walked over.

"You really think you'll be able to control all that power?" In answer Ash stood up, drawing Chimchar into his arms.

"Who knows? I sure don't yet. But if anyone can, then Chimchar can no doubt." Paul lowered his head with an irritated sigh.

"Spoken just like a fool." Alright, that's it mister! You're toeing the line here.

"Listen punk, we're not going to give up." I said forcefully as I climbed to my feet. "Ash and I are going to take good care of Chimchar and train hard until we…" Suddenly I felt all woozy, my head spinning as it went light headed and I wavered on my feet. "Whoa…" I mumbled, falling forwards and Paul grabbed my arm to hold me upright and steady. "Guess that really was intense."

"You should sit down." Paul said to me. "Before you fall down." I glared at him, my head returning to normal so I pulled my arm back.

"I'm fine. But you should probably go before Aurora and I start swinging fists." Aurora growled and stood at my side, glaring at Paul who arched an eyebrow.

"Aurora?" He repeated questioningly with a distasteful wrinkle of his nose. Stupid jerk. How dare he mock my Pokémon's name? "Whatever. See you around." He said but before he went, he glanced down to my arm. "Make sure you take care of that."

"I will. See you." I answered shortly, moving my arm back so that he couldn't see it. Paul glanced at me one last time before turning and walking away. "I'm glad you're feeling better." I said before I could stop myself and Paul paused but didn't look back before continuing on his way.

Aurora began to drag me over to the river where Brock helped me treat the burn and then I patched up Ash's shoulder, cleaning the small bite marks and covered them to make sure they didn't get infected. "You really think we'll be able to help Chimchar get control?" Ash whispered to me as we looked at Chimchar who stood with the rest of the Pokémon.

"I think we can. He's just a little guy at the moment, but as he grows and evolves, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll become strong enough physically to control those flames. We just have to believe in him." Ash nodded his head and we both looked at Chimchar as he relaxed with his friends, Aurora playing chase with him through the trees as they swung or leaped from branch to branch.

Chimchar has already come so far under Ash and my wings, so we'll take him all the way. To the Sinnoh league and beyond.


	34. Chapter 34

After another successful gym battle and earning his fourth badge, we were out on the road again. During a massive thunder storm, we stopped at a rich gentleman's house who gave us food and shelter, where Dawn met Swinub, a cute little Pokémon who loves to eat just as much as a Munchlax, and Dawn captured it, adding another Pokémon to her team. We had all stopped for lunch, the Pokémon happily spending some time playing beforehand when Ash noted that Gligar wasn't around. "Hey, where'd Gligar go?" He asked and we all looked around, seeing that he was in fact not here. "I'll find out. Hey Gligar! Come here!" Ash called and Gligar launched himself out of tree and crash landed on Ash, his way of showing affection I think.

"Look! I found Gligar." I said with a laugh as Ash groaned then sat up after pushing Gligar off of him. In reply Gligar started to try and use a move, though it wasn't very strong. In fact it was pretty weak looking and needed some practice.

"Whoa that's X-Scissor. Does that mean you want to do some battle training?" Ash questioned and Gligar nodded his head. Guess that knock on the head from Gliscor really upped Gligar's determination to battle well one day.

"Makes sense to me. Especially after Gligar had that frustrating battle against Paul's Gliscor." Brock said and instantly Gligar had tears in his eyes, looking down shamefully. Guess that was a soft spot for Gligar.

"Training huh? So you want to get stronger, right?" Gligar nodded his head enthusiastically. "Awesome! Then we'll get right down to it after lunch." Ash decided as I lifted his plate of food.

"Better hurry Ash, I'm pretty hungry you know."

"Wagh!" Instantly he was back in his seat and had snatched his food back from me, hoarding it protectively as I chuckled. Works every time. After lunch was eaten and cleared up, Ash stood looking at Gligar who faced Buizel, who was looking battle ready and confident. "Okay Gligar, you're in the thick of it, so use your eyes and show that winning glare." Ash encouraged and Gligar instantly narrowed his eyes, glaring at Buizel but when the seasoned warrior glared back, Gligar started to cry and begged for mercy on his knees. This may be a little harder than we thought. "Well that's not going to work. You can't give up before you start." Ash said before sighing. "Okay Gligar go! Use X-Scissor and keep it going!" He called and Gligar jumped forwards, swinging his clubbed hands as Buizel dodged every attack. "Now Buizel, use Aqua Jet!"

But the moment Buizel made a beeline for Gligar, he broke down in tears once again and he launched himself onto Ash, latching on to try and protect himself but Buizel hit against them, slamming Ash to the ground who lay still for a moment before sitting bolt upright, holding Gligar away from him. "Gligar! What's wrong with you?!" He demanded and Gligar hung his head with tears in his eyes once again.

"Ash hold on, getting mad like that will only depress Gligar more." Dawn said as she walked forwards and Ash stood up.

"Well yeah, but still."

"Cheer up Gligar. No need to worry. You'll just try a little harder next time and you'll be wonderful." Dawn said as she knelt before Gligar and rubbed his head, making Gligar smile and reach out to hug the gentle girl as Brock and I walked over.

"Man, I don't want Gligar to get spoiled." Ash said worriedly though Brock reasoned with him

"Though on the other hand, treating Gligar harshly isn't going to get him very far either."

"That's right genius." I said, placing my hands on my hips as I walked over to Gligar and stood beside him. "You've got to see it from Gligar's point of view. He's just lost his first battle and got pretty hurt. If I were Gligar, I'd be a little scared too. Maybe battling against another Pokémon isn't such a good idea for now. How about you try against inanimate objects like rocks or trees?" I suggested but Ash shook his head.

"Nah, Gligar will be fine. Turtwig! Come on out and give me a hand!" I looked down to Aurora and we both sighed with a shake of our head. This is not going to end well. "Okay, use Energy Ball!" Shieldon and Leafeon both came to watch with me having finished their nap and were curious about going on. "Gligar, if you don't pay attention then you won't be able to dodge." Ash said as he saw Gligar starting to cry again.

As Turtwig let go of the Energy Ball, Gligar shrieked and bounced up into the air, soaring high and Ash gave a smile. "Okay Gligar, I want you to use Steel Wing right from where you are!" He called up and Gligar blinked before concentrating, his wings starting to glow before he dove straight down for Turtwig, but as he got closer, he lost his nerve and cried out again, banking around and aimed straight for Ash. "No not this way!" Ash said and began to run. "Look out!"

"Of course _now_ Gligar can fly straight as an arrow." Dawn sighed as I shook my head then nodded my head to my three Pokémon and together we ran forwards after Ash.

"Gligar, your opponent is back that way! AGH!" Gligar crash landed and Ash was not impressed. "What were you thinking? You need to stop crying and start toughening up!" He said harshly and Gligar instantly burst into tears before leaping back into the air, soaring away on the thermals just as I reached them. "Hey, Gligar wait!" I whacked Ash hard on the back of his head, grounding him securely.

"Way to go genius. You hurt his feelings." I told him sharply and he leaped back to his feet, glaring at me.

"Oh yeah? Well it's not my fault! Gligar needs to start acting tougher or we'll never get anywhere with training!"

"It's your fault for being so insensitive!" I argued back, raising my voice. "Gligar needs some time to recover from defeat and you just go and throw him in the deep end!"

"He wanted to train! It's not my fault he's being a cry baby about it!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ASH KETCHUM?!" I demanded with a roar as my Pokémon all shrank back slightly. Gligar is _not_ a cry baby, he's just a little sensitive. It's in his nature! You can't ridicule him for that.

"Uh guys? How about we go find Gligar?" Brock suggested and we both blinked at him.

"Right. Come on Pikachu, let's go." Ash said, shooting me a look which I mirrored before whistling sharply. My Pokémon all lifted their heads and both Charizard and Ponyta hurried over to me.

"You guys had better return." I said, bringing them back to their Pokéballs. "Leafeon, you're good at finding things, help us find Gligar?"

"Leafeon." He nodded his head and together with Aurora we ran off after Gligar, calling out for him.

"Gligar! Gligar where are you?"

"Gligar say something!" We all chipped in, scanning the skies as Aurora and I tried to sense for him.

"This is just great. Things don't go perfectly so Gligar throws in the towel." Ash said but at that moment, both Aurora and I lifted our heads, eyes snapping open as we got a lock on Gligar's aura and location.

"He's this way!" We both pointed and led the way into the trees, following a large path until we stopped, staring as we found Gligar with Gary.

"It's the poetry guy's grandson!" Dawn squealed and the boys and Pokémon all fell to the ground as Gary scratched his head with a slightly embarrassed look.

"It'd be a lot easier if you'd just use my name." He said as Ash dusted himself off. My eyes instantly narrowed and I glared over at Gary whilst slipping back to hide myself behind a tree. There's no way I want to see _him_.

"Leaf?" Leafeon questioned but followed after me, hiding at my side as Aurora jumped up onto my shoulder with a questioning sound.

"Let's just say I hate that guy as much as Paul." I told them, turning my back to lean against the tree with folded arms.

"Hey Gary, why're you here?" Ash questioned curiously.

"I was just on my way to Lake Valor to check out that legendary Pokémon you guys saw." Gary explained simply. Well good. You'd better get going then Gary stupid Oak. Your presence here is undesirable. By _me_. Think I should get Charizard out to send him on his way?

"So does that mean Professor Rowan sent you?" Brock asked and Gary nodded his head.

"Yeah. Hey what's up with this Gligar?"

"It's mine." Ash said before explaining. "We were just doing some special training."

"Let me guess. In the middle of your training Gligar took off."

"How'd you know that?" The genius blinked in bewilderment as Gary stood there with a proud smirk on his face.

"Just call it a good guess. Seems your training method leaves a little bit to be desired, Ashy boy." Gary drawled which instantly ticked Ash off.

"What was that?!" He demanded and Gary instantly backtracked innocently, as if he hadn't said a word.

"Hey I'm just offering you my help."

"Thanks but no thanks. Come on Gligar, let's try that training again once more." Ash said, holding out his hand but Gligar leaped to hide behind Gary's legs, shaking his head with tears in his eyes again.

"Sounds like a no thank you to me." Gary noted, looking down at Gligar as he continued to cower behind the trainer.

"Oh yeah?" Ash challenged then grabbed Gligar and tried to wrestle with him. "Come on!" He tried dragging Gligar away but every time Ash pulled, Gligar pulled back and the two began a small wrestling match of their own which was going nowhere.

"Maybe we should take Gary up on his offer to help." Dawn suggested and Ash froze, blinking at Dawn and Gligar took his chance to hide behind Gary once again.

"Yeah, just do it for Gligar." Brock said, agreeing with Dawn. "It might be best for everybody."

"What have you got to lose?" Gary reasoned and I peeked around my hiding place to see Ash hang his head with a sigh. "Come on. Let's go find somewhere with some space and I'll battle you Ash." After that Ash was ready to go.

"Okay! Let's do it!" He cheered then raced off. "Come on this way, hurry up!" The others all chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm but Gary stopped and looked around.

"Hey, where's Ruby? I thought she was travelling around with you guys." He asked and both Dawn and Brock blinked in surprise, looking around them in confusion.

"She was here just a minute ago…where is she?" Dawn questioned before calling out. "Ruby! Ruby where'd you go?"

"Maybe she went back to the camp. Come on, let's go look." Brock said and as they walked closer, I sprang up the tree with Leafeon in my arms, crouching on the branch and watched as they passed underneath me. "If she's not there, then we'll go look for her." I heard Brock say. Guess I'll have to show my face, otherwise they'll search the entire forest to find me.

"Leafeon. Leaf Leafeon." Leafeon said to me, licking my cheek as he sensed my irritation and I calmed down a bit.

"Thanks buddy. Come on you two, let's get back." I said and I jumped back down from the tree and circled around them. I joined Ash and pretended as if I'd never even left him as the others all exited the trees.

"There you are! We thought you'd been kidnapped by an Ursaring or something." Dawn said to me with a smile and I laughed lightly.

"Of course not. I was just making sure genius here didn't fall over or anything in his haste to get back here." I answered, folding my arms as I stood with Leafeon and Aurora. "Well Gligar, looks like you've got your second real battle." I said as I walked over and knelt down. "Just stay calm and you'll be fine. Ash won't let you get hurt, I promise." I said, giving Gligar a rub on the head for courage before stepping back.

"Hey Rubes, long time no see." Gary said to me but I didn't even look at him.

"Yeah. Guess so." Dawn and Brock blinked, glancing between me and Gary in confusion. The jerk wasn't wearing my hat, so I guess he must have lost it. The stupid idiot, that hat meant a lot to me! It's been with me for a long time, travelling all over several different regions. Maybe I should have just thrown away my pride and kissed him to get it back safe and sound.

Gary arched an eyebrow at me but then turned to face Ash and Gligar before bringing out his choice Pokémon. Umbreon! Leafeon instantly bounded forwards, calling out happily and I smiled as the two reunited, rubbing noses father to son. So adorable. "Wait, is _this_ the Umbreon you were telling me about? Leafeon's dad?" Dawn asked and I nodded my head.

"The very same." I confirmed. "Leafeon!" I called lightly and Leafeon pulled himself away from his father to jump back to my side so I knelt down and rubbed his head. "I know you've missed him, but they're about to battle. You can say hello after, okay?" Leafeon nodded his head, licking my fingers to make me giggle at the tickling touch before I stood up straight.

"It's Umbreon against Gligar. We'll be able to show you a few things." Gary said with his signature smirk as Ash retorted.

"We won't go easy on you. Go Gligar, use Steel Wing!" Ash directed and Gligar instantly pulled himself up into the sky then dove straight down for Umbreon.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Gary called and Umbreon instantly created a dark sphere in front of him and shot it up at Gligar. It missed on purpose, however Gligar panicked and crashed back into Ash with teary eyes. "I get it. Gligar freaks out easily when facing an opponent."

"But Gligar, don't you want to get strong?" Ash asked and Gligar nodded his head with a little whimper.

"Even though Gligar does want to get stronger, any battling that starts then this huge wave of uncontrollable fear takes place." Brock said and I nodded.

"You're telling me. I can feel it right here." I said, touching my chest where my heart beat underneath.

"Alright, so the first thing that we have to work on is getting over that fear." Gary announced to us all, standing with his Umbreon.

"So how do you do that?" Dawn questioned but Ash called out with an answer.

"You focus in and concentrate!" I whacked the back of his head.

"No, genius. Fear is a matter of the mind. It's almost impossible to overcome by concentrating alone." I told him as he groaned on the ground, my hit having taken him down flat. Oops.

"Ash I guess you'll never change." Gary said with a shake of his head whilst smirking still. "The most important thing about working with Steel Wing is to jump as high as you can. So no doubt if we can master that then no doubt Gligar will have lots more confidence in battle." He said and Dawn beamed.

"That's great! Gary sure gives instructions much better than Ash does." Dawn said and Ash yelled back at us, waving a fist.

"I heard that!"

"But how does Gligar increase its jumping power?" Brock questioned as I stood there, listening closely whilst feigning disinterest.

"By using the end of Gligar's tail like a spring when it takes off." Gary explained and Ash instantly smiled.

"Awesome! Okay Gligar, use the end of your tail like a spring when you jump. Now, use Steel Wing!" Ash ordered and Gligar bounced on the end of his tail before springing up into the air much higher than before, soaring upwards with glowing wings. "What a jump!" Ash said, impressed by Gligar's power but then Gligar lost his confidence, flailing his arms and wings wildly as he plummeted straight into Ash once more. You know, this is starting to get real interesting. I'm glad I caught that last landing on camera, it's a memory worthy of a picture!

"Now Gligar's got to deal with the fear of heights." Brock said as Gary walked over.

"We've got a problem alright. How much battling has Gligar done?" He questioned and Dawn answered as Ash was still a little…tangled.

"Not much. Gligar got beaten pretty badly whilst battling a Gliscor. Maybe that's why Gligar is so scared now." Dawn said softly as I sighed. I did try to tell them, especially Ash, but he wouldn't listen.

"Yeah. Makes sense." Gary said as he pulled something out of his bag. "Hey I know, we'll evolve Gligar." Gary announced and Dawn leaned closer to see a fang like item in Gary's hand.

"What's that?" She asked and Brock answered her.

"It's a Razor Fang."

"Right. We'll just evolve Gligar into Gliscor with this." Gary said as Leafeon moved forwards and stood beside Umbreon, the two of them nuzzling noses again before sitting down beside one another. "And once we do that all sorts of Gligar's abilities will improve and we can put the breaks on all of that fear." He said as he handed the fang over to Ash.

"Wow thanks Gary." Instantly Gligar was jumping up and down, trying to swipe the fang off of Ash but he held it out of reach. "Calm down Gligar, evolving is no substitute for some honest hard work! You can evolve after you conquer your fear." He said and held out a hand, making Gligar stay put. Suddenly there was a huge bang which made us all turnabout face to see a massive Gliscor balloon heading straight for us.

"What the…!" Gary stared at the balloon as Team Rocket moved in closer and Jessie's voice trailed down to our ears.

"A clueless twerp is certainly nothing new."

"You're all pros at not having a clue." James said and I scratched my head. Where did they come up with all these rhymes? They were getting worse every time we ran into these clowns. I suffered through the motto, glancing down at Aurora who shrugged her shoulders, wearing a similar expression to me.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of being lame?" Gary questioned and Team Rocket instantly barked back with anger.

"Silence!"

"Check out our Gliscor bot." Meowth invited with a drawl and the tail moved down, aiming straight for us and before we could blink, it had launched and grabbed…Gligar! Huh? Weren't they after Pikachu this time?

"Gligar!" Ash yelled as Gligar called out to him, looking back with teary eyes and fear pounding through him. "Stop it right now!" Ash shouted as he ran after his Gligar and jumped onto the tail as Team Rocket began to lift away.

"Leafeon you're up! Use Razor Leaf!" I called and Leafeon instantly leaped forwards, jumping up into the air then began to summersault, launching leaves directly at the balloon but they all bounced off harmlessly. "What?!" Team Rocket all laughed.

"Looks like your leaves have fallen from their tree! This balloon is the toughest material we could find. It's completely twerp proof!" Meowth crowed back down at me and I growled.

"Let's hope it's not idiot proof, because you guys fit the bill perfectly." Ash called out Staravia but Jessie knocked her back with a combination of Silver Wind from her Yanmega and Haze from her Seviper. Wow, did she actually catch that Pokémon herself? "Hold on!" I called then ran forwards, jumping up into the air and caught Staravia in my arms but then the blast flung me back, causing me to cry out as I hit the ground hard and the explosion of Haze surrounded us, causing us all to cough before finally, it all cleared away.

"They're gone!" Brock said as I slowly lifted myself up, Staravia in my arms.

"With Ash and Gligar too!" Dawn added as I took a deep breath, Leafeon and Aurora running to my side and nuzzled me to make sure I was alright.

"I'm fine." I assured them as Staravia blinked, waking herself up. "How about you Staravia?" I asked and she fluttered her wings as she stood on the ground before me.

"Star! Staravia Star!" She nodded her head and I smiled at her, rubbing her head before getting to my feet. "Let's go. We'd better find Ash and Gligar before Team Rocket get away for good. Staravia, can you fly?" I questioned and she took the sky and began the search for our friends.

"They'll be long gone by now. We'd be better off calling for help." Gary said to me but I ignored him as I walked past.

"If I know Team Rocket, they won't go far. After a successful catch they like to celebrate by eating a banquet of food, so we've got a little time before they disappear. So let's move it!" Brock and Dawn blinked slightly at my hard tone but I didn't care. Ash was in trouble and we needed to find him fast.

"In that case follow me. I know this area well, we'll start looking in places where Team Rocket could land." Gary said, stepping ahead of me and I stopped to let him go past. Pikachu jumped up onto my shoulder and I looked at his worried expression.

"Pika Pi…"

"Don't worry Pikachu. Ash will be fine, he's with Gligar, remember?" I said and Pikachu sighed. "He'll be back in no time." So we started our search together. Aurora and I kept a watch for Ash and Gligar's aura, hoping to locate them that way but they were too far out of range to locate. We walked for ages, the sun beginning to set behind us as Gary led us.

"We still haven't found Ash and Gligar, and the sun is starting to set." Dawn said, dragging her feet as she began to get tired. I carried Aurora on my shoulder, her feet having started to hurt too but Leafeon continued to stride at my side, perfectly at ease with the amount of walking being used to it.

"I know this terrain like the back of my hand, and there just aren't that many places around here where Team Rocket's balloon could have touched down. This way." He directed and so we continued to follow him. The moon soon rose up and we were walking in the dark, our only light being the moonlight, however when we started to hear the sound of a battle, we raced towards it.

"Ash!" Dawn called out as they ran into a canyon but I ran up the slope, taking Leafeon, Aurora and Pikachu with me to get a view of Team Rocket's balloon battling against…Gliscor. Wow! Gligar evolved! That's so cool, and he looks a lot stronger now too. Gliscor deflected a rocket powered pincer with X-Scissor then cut the balloon in half with Steel Wing.

"Way to go Gliscor!" I cheered from the top before pointing down. "Okay, Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" I called and Pikachu leaped into the air, charging up his energy before blasting Team Rocket with all he had and they were launched into the air. As they levelled out with our vantage point, I smirked as they winced and stared at me with panic. "Now Leafeon, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Both Pokémon leaped forwards with a cry and struck Team Rocket with a double attack, sending them flying up into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" I laughed before jumping up with a victorious punch, smiling broadly as the Pokémon all copied.

"Alright!" However when I landed on the ground, the edge I was standing close too suddenly crumbled underfoot, its weakness caving out and I yelled in surprise as I was flung forwards with all the Pokémon falling with me. "Leafeon! Aurora! Return!" I called, summoning them back to their Pokéballs then grabbed Pikachu as he yelled out loudly. "Hold on Pikachu, I got you!" I assured him as we fell. I heard the others call out to us from below as I reached out and snagged a branch, breaking the fall and we hung there, hearts beating just a little too fast.

"Hold on Ruby, Pikachu, we'll get you down!" Ash yelled up.

"I'm trying to hold on!" I yelled back but just then, the branch snapped. "Oh just typical." I growled under my breath before yelling at the top of my voice, hugging Pikachu to me until I felt large arms curl around me with round pincers, making me blink in surprise. "Gliscor? Way to go!" I cheered as he landed on the ground, using his tail as an anchor as he grinned at me with a wink and his tongue sticking out. "Thanks for the catch, it was great timing!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said before gasping. "Pika Pi!"

"Pikachu! Man am I glad to see you!" Ash laughed as Pikachu leaped out of my arms and into Ash's, making me smile as Gliscor gently put me down.

"Wow Ruby, are you okay?" Dawn asked as she and Brock rushed over so I gave her a victory sign and a wink.

"No need to worry! Besides, I'm always falling off cliffs. It's a habit." I shrugged, placing my hands on my hips. "So, who's hungry? I'm thinking we should all have some dinner then go to bed." I suggested and Ash grinned.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm starving!" Brock chuckled as we all grouped together.

"It's kind of late, but I'll rustle up something quick, don't you worry." He said. "Let's just head back where it's safer. We don't want any more rocks falling on top of us." Glancing around the canyon I heartily agreed, so we all walked back together. Gary and I didn't say a word to one another, something that I think Brock noticed as he hung back to talk to me as the others walked on ahead. "What's eating at you?" He asked me quietly. "You've been acting kind of weird around Gary recently."

"Maybe because he's a jerk and always will be." I answered, folding my arms stubbornly.

"But you used to be friends, what happened?" Brock then frowned at me. "Is this to do with your hat? I thought you'd just lost it, but now I'm starting to sense something happened." He's quite good, you know. There's very little you can hide from Brock. Must be from raising all his little brothers and sisters, they could never hide anything from him either.

"It's fine." I said after a while. "I can handle it." So we both turned and walked after the others. Brock didn't press me further and I was grateful for that, however I felt bad for not telling him, but he didn't really need to know. He made us all some late night sandwiches then, tired to the bone, we all curled up in our sleeping bags and went straight to sleep, not waking until the morning where Aurora let herself out of her Pokéball then jumped on me. "Ugh…Aurora…too early. Go back to sleep…" I groaned but she started to jump on me again, telling me to get up. "Okay fine! I'm up, I'm up. What is it?" I yawned and stretched as I sat up but then Aurora grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

My hair was loose and a little messy, and I was only wearing my pyjamas but still, Aurora dragged me barefoot to the hill behind the trees and she pointed towards the east where the sun began to rise. "Oh right. Sunrise." I said, realising what she had wanted all along was to just watch the sunset with me. It was a beautiful sunrise. The light was soft and golden, shining all over the valley and turned the pine trees a radiant bronze and I listened to the singing of bird Pokémon around us, all waking the moment the sunlight touched their nests.

"I figured you'd be up this early." I heard Gary's voice say behind me and I stiffened, narrowing my eyes but Aurora smacked my leg and told me to be nice, so I relaxed as Gary approached and stood beside me, though he smartly put a little distance between us. "I want to show you something. Can you call out your Leafeon?" He asked and I nodded my head, not taking my eyes of the sunrise. I called out Leafeon who yawned and stretched before shaking himself out. Gary smirked then pulled out two Pokéballs, and when the Pokémon appeared it was to reveal Umbreon and a familiar yet not so familiar face.

"Flareon!" A Flareon instantly began to jump and pounce around, full of energy and playfulness just like her mother and Leafeon instantly bounded over and nuzzled his sister's face, smiling as Umbreon stepped forwards and the three all greeted one another.

"I found a firestone a few weeks ago and Flareon found it when rooting through my bag and she evolved." Gary said as I smiled and knelt down, welcoming Flareon into my arms as she jumped into them, happy to see me again as I hugged her warm, fluffy body.

"Flare Flareon Flare!" Flareon chirped and I giggled as she began to lick my face continuously, showering me with affection as Umbreon and Leafeon walked forwards, the both of them calmer and more sophisticated than their excitable relation. I reached out and rubbed Umbreon's head and he nuzzled his face into my hand.

"Are you going to say something Rubes?" Gary asked and I sighed before looking away.

"Why should I?" This time Gary sighed, kneeling down on the grass as Aurora introduced herself to Umbreon and Flareon before starting a game with Flareon, the two of them hitting it off straight away.

"Okay I get it, you're angry with me." I shot him a sarcastic expression.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" I drawled and he blushed slightly.

"I didn't mean what I said, you know, I was just trying to irritate you but I guess I went a little too far that time." Gary said then pulled something out of his bag. I blinked in surprise as he held my hat, dusting it off before holding it out to me. "If you would read your emails, you'd find more than a dozen apologies in your inbox." He said as I slowly reached out and took my hat back. The moment it was in my hands again, I felt a whole lot better as I smiled and put it back on my head. It was if I'd never even taken it off.

"I guess I have been ignoring you. I'll be sure to read them." I said, leaning back on my hands and turned to look at the sunset again. Leafeon placed his front paws on my lap and lay down over me so I reached out and rubbed his head gently, stroking his soft fur as Umbreon sat beside Gary who ran his hand over his back.

"So…do you forgive me?" I thought for a moment. He was being honest, I could tell that by aura, so I guess I should, but why not have a little fun?

"I don't know. I haven't actually heard you apologise yet." I said slowly, closing my eyes and hiding my smirk behind a blank face.

"But I just did!"

"No you didn't. You just said you went a little too far. Tell me that you're sorry for being the stupidest jerk of all time then I'll forgive you." Gary narrowed his eyes at me as I waited, tapping my foot on the ground before he gave in.

"Okay fine. I'm sorry for being the stupidest jerk of all time." He muttered so I cupped a hand around my ear.

"What was that?" He mumbled under his breath again, only a little louder.

"I'm sorry for being the stupidest jerk of all time."

"Still can't hear you." I trilled so he raised his voice in a shout.

"I'm sorry for being the stupidest jerk of all time!" His voice echoed across the valley and I smirked with satisfaction. I could get used to this, Gary insulting himself. Saves me a lot of work. "Happy now?" Gary demanded to know so I shrugged.

"Maybe. We'll see." Now I was in trouble.

"That's it. You're toast." Before I could even move Gary had launched himself at me and I squeaked as he tackled me to the ground and I tried to roll him off me, but once we started, we couldn't stop. The Pokémon all chased after us, making me laugh and giggle as we tumbled to the bottom of the hill like we kids always used to do whenever the opportunity arose.

We landed at a heap, Gary crushing me into the ground but it didn't help when Flareon and Aurora jumped on us too, flattening me further and Gary shifted so that his weight was taken off of me, a hand planted into the ground beside my face as he grinned down at me. "So we're good?" He asked, wanting clarification so I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"What do you think, bonehead?"

"I don't know shrimps, you tell me." Oh he is so asking for it!

"Trash breath."

"Scruff ball."

"Jerk face!"

"Loser." He returned and I glared up at him, trying to hide my smirk but it was beginning to get difficult.

"You're a vain idiot Gary Oak, you know that?" I asked and he gave a laugh.

"Not as much as I know you're a wild banshee Rubes, though I guess when you _really_ try you can be like a siren, which is a little better." He mused so I hit his shoulder, though considering our slightly compromising position, I didn't have a lot of room to really make it hurt.

"Get off me you jackass." I commanded but he stayed put. His eyes looked directly down into mine as if searching for something, his features growing soft and I blinked at him slowly, unsure of what to do. "Gary?" I tried but he was still in his own little world. "Gary!" He snapped awake, blinking at me.

"Huh?"

"You're squashing me you heavy lug. Get off." Gary smirked then pulled back, getting to his feet then grabbed my hands, lifting me up to my own feet but with a little more force than what was necessary, so I went flying upwards and I yelped as I collided with his chest but his arm anchored me in place, keeping me steady.

"You okay?" He asked in a soft, quiet voice, not letting go as his eyes locked on mine again. I'd forgetting how hypnotising his eyes could be, they drew you in and didn't let go if you weren't careful.

"Uh…" All thoughts went out of my head as my eyes dropped from his to his mouth, which wasn't a very smart move. They seemed so soft and warm, I wanted to touch them to find out exactly what they were like. "Yeah." I finally formed a coherent thought, which ordered me to answer him before I look even more like an idiot. Lowering my head I blushed deeply and stepped back, expecting Gary to let go but he only let his hands slip from around my back to rest on my arms, which were bare to the morning breeze.

"You're cold." He noted, feeling the goose bumps on my skin and I blushed a little more.

"No I'm fine." I tried to tell him but Gary pulled me back towards him, wrapping his arms around me in a backward embrace as he rested his chin on the top of my head. "Um…"

"Relax Rubes, I just don't want you to catch pneumonia or anything." I'm pretty sure you don't catch pneumonia by standing outside in just a shirt but okay. "Come here Flareon, help me get Rubes warm." Gary called as he sat down with me and Flareon instantly jumped into my lap, smiling up at me before curling up on my lap as Aurora, Leafeon and Umbreon all crowded around too. Feeling a little warmer and much more comfortable, I relaxed against Gary and watched as the sun finished its wake up call, rising higher over the hills.

"Gary?"

"Yeah Rubes?" He looked down at me as I turned my head back to look up at him. I frowned slightly, wondering what I should say before shaking my head.

"Nothing." Gary gave me a smile then shifted me in his arms and I moved so that I wasn't practically sitting in his lap. We lay back against the steep hill and I yawned, feeling tired from my early morning wakeup call and Aurora yawned with me before we both turned into our cushions and began to doze.

After a while I felt Gary move me in his arms so that he could carry me and Aurora was picked up by Leafeon, who placed her on Umbreon's back as Flareon charged up and down the hill, leading the way as Gary carried me back to the camp where the others were still sleeping.

He placed me down inside my sleeping bag then zipped it up after Umbreon had carefully placed Aurora next to me and I yawned sleepily, curling up into a little ball as Leafeon lay down beside me, placing his tail over my waist as he rested his head too. "Sleep well Rubes." Gary whispered softly in my ear, brushing my hair aside as he took off my hat and placed it beside me. Though still heavily sleep ridden, I felt Gary's tender lips touch my cheek and linger there for a moment. I was right, they were warm and soft.

When he pulled away my cheek was suddenly cold and I shivered slightly before moving closer to my two Pokémon, curling my arm around then. I cracked open one eye and Aurora looked at me, smirking slightly so I hushed her quietly before going back to sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

After another failed attempt at a gym battle at Hearthome City, Dawn and Ash entered a fashion show with Pikachu and Buneary. It was lots of fun, and I enjoyed helping Dawn make her dress for Buneary and herself. She went for simplicity and effectiveness which made Buneary stand out perfectly, so she won the whole thing and totally put out her rival Lady Cocoa, which I don't think anyone was sad about her losing.

But what looked like real fun was a Pokémon camp being held on Mt Coronet. However since Ash overslept and Dawn took a long time fixing her hair, we had to run to try and get there before it started. We ran all the way at top speed, Aurora at my side and Shieldon keeping pace beside me, happy with our morning run and I chuckled as he sang out happily.

Racing into the facility, we stopped and caught our breath. "Looks like we made it after all." Ash panted.

"But you're late!" A stern voice announced and we all spun around to see none other than Professor Rowan standing there.

"It's Professor Rowan!" Both Ash and Dawn chorused before walking over to him. Rowan's moustache twitched as he hid his smile before he nodded his head to us all.

"I welcome you to the Rowan Research Facility on Mt Coronet. Which for now, will be your school." He revealed and we looked at the smart building with excitement. This camp is going to be great! I remember all the ones I used to go to when I was little at Professor Oak's place. They were the best times in my life.

"Alright people, gather round to find out which class team you're on!" An assistant researcher called, waving his arms so the gang and I gathered around to try find our names.

"I'm on the red team." Ash spotted his name and Dawn then found hers.

"Hey me too!"

"And me!" Brock echoed as I tried to find my name on the red team before finding to my dismay that it wasn't there. Looking across, I found it on the blue team. Dang it. Suddenly there was a creepy and somewhat familiar chuckle behind us.

"Looks like I'm on the blue team with you Ruby Bates." Conway said as Ash and Dawn leaped back, freaked out by his creeping up on us. "Somehow I just knew you'd all be coming." Conway told us as he moved his glasses further back up the bridge of his nose.

"Don't forget me!" A voice called out brightly and we all looked to see a woman with pink hair put up in twin ponytail's. "The name's Jessalinda and I'm on the green team! I'm also the school's resident cutie pie!" She winked and I shivered slightly. That's not at all freaky. Once everyone had found out which team they were on, Professor Rowan stood up to make a small notice to us all.

"Just as there are many kinds of Pokémon in many parts of our world, budding young trainers are no different. Today you young trainers of different ages and birthplaces have gathered together for a week of fun and excitement. Destiny has brought you together as you meet and work with your fellow students and their Pokémon in their classes. So get to know one another this week and while you're at it, have some fun!" He invited before one of his assistants stepped forwards with a box in his hands.

"I think this would be the perfect time for the Pokémon to introduce themselves, and the best way is…"

"A Pokémon battle." Rowan finished in agreement and the kids around us all cheered. Ash grabbed one of his Pokéballs but then the assistant called out over us all.

"Hold on a minute! Each and every one will use these Pokéballs. One Pokéball for each student." He declared and everyone moved in, grabbing a Pokéball for themselves. Ash raced forwards and lunged for a Pokéball but then began to fight over it with a girl who called herself Angie and challenged Ash to a battle.

"That's the spirit!" Rowan said as he walked forwards. "But today's order of business is meeting the Pokémon. Battles will be kept for tomorrow." He decided so Angie smiled.

"Alright then, come on out!" She had chosen a Monferno, which was the evolved form of Chimchar. "Angie's the name, nice to meet you." Angie said but the Monferno turned its head away with disinterest, making Ash laugh.

"Looks like you rub Pokémon the wrong way too!" He said and Angie glared at him. "Okay, my turn! Come on…out!" Ash called and we all smiled as we saw he'd picked a Raichu. What were the odds? "Hey a Raichu, great!" Ash said then ran on over but the moment he tried to talk to the Raichu, it used Dig and hid itself underground. Aw, guess it's just shy.

I walked on over to the box last, looking down at the one Pokéball left in the box. "Go on Ruby, it's all yours." Rowan invited so I picked it up with a nod of my head.

"Alright Pokéball, it's play time, so come out and join the party!" I cheered, letting go of my Pokéball with a spin and watched as the flash of light appeared before it began to form a Pokémon. Soft brown eyes blinked at me and a russet fur coat gleamed in the sunlight.

"Vul…Vulpix." No way! It's a Vulpix!

"Hello there, I'm Ruby. It's great to meet you." I greeted and Vulpix instantly smiled at me, jumping up into my arms and Aurora looked with interest at Vulpix as I hugged it close then introduced the two. "This is Aurora, my Riolu, and down here is Shieldon."

"Shieldon!" He beamed up at Vulpix as I knelt down and let her sniff him before she beamed and nuzzled noses. I returned Shieldon to his Pokéball then let Vulpix down to walk at my side. Dawn had got a Grimer and Brock a Magnemite. I think Dawn was a little surprised at first, but she seems okay with her new companion now.

Our first class was getting to know our Pokémon, so as Dawn gave Grimer some poffins and Brock polished up his Magnemite, I groomed Vulpix until her coat gleamed with Aurora's help, gently brushing her down and she enjoyed the attention as I told her all about my travels. "Hey I know, let's check out what moves you know." I said then pulled out my Pokédex and held it out towards Vulpix.

"Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Energy Ball and Will-O-Wisp." The voice told me as I scooped both Aurora and Vulpix up into my arms.

"Awesome, I can't wait to see you in action." I said to Vulpix who smiled up at me. "We're going to do just fine." We worked hard through the day, though Ash seemed to get into a lot of arguments with Angie which led to them missing most of their lunch break to do laps, however we were sure to save them some.

What felt weird was sleeping in a different dorm to the gang, I was so used to sharing with them all but since I was in the blue team, I was sharing with two other kids and Conway, who was a little creepy. He wanted me to tell him all about Dawn, where she came from, her likes and dislikes before finally lights out were called and I was relieved when he went to bed.

However after a while, he began to whisper. "Ruby, Ruby are you awake?" I so wish Jigglypuff was here right now. I turned over in my bed and pretended to be fast asleep, curled up with Aurora, Vulpix, Leafeon and Shieldon as they all bunked with me for some degree of normality. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, I needed all the rest I could get.

I sure was right about that. The battling was awesome, and Vulpix was just incredible. She looked all shy and cute, but when put in a battle, it's like she's a totally different Pokémon. She was powerful and never gave up and mixed with a lot of confidence, she totalled all opponents she faced. "Alright! Way to go Vulpix!" I cheered for her as time was called for another successful battle. "You sure know how to turn up the heat, you were awesome!"

"Vulpix!" She beamed as she turned and leaped into my arms, rubbing her face against my cheek as I laughed and hugged her tight.

"A spectacular battle, Ruby. I must say you are quite a formidable opponent." Conway said as he slipped up to my side and almost gave me a heart attack. There's something about him that I just don't like. He's creepy and nosy, but also rather suspicious. Aurora didn't like him and I didn't either.

"Thanks Conway, but it's Vulpix who deserves your compliments." I said as I stepped back. We spent the day battling, learning about Pokémon health and all sorts of things before at the end of the day, it was announced that the blue team had won the most points.

I stuck around the red dormitory for as long as I could, not wanting to be back in my own dorm where the other boy and girl always talked and didn't bother with Conway or I and Conway himself always pressed me for information. It was like I was permanently in an interrogation room, I hated it. Still, nothing to be done. On our third day, we were spending our time at the lake where it was full to the brim with water type Pokémon, and we were asked to make a report on them to present our findings to the rest of the school at the end of the day.

Ash and the others went off to explore the lake together, leaving me on my own. Well, best get started. "So Aurora, you want to help me study these Pokémon?" I questioned and she stood up with me, nodding her head. I decided to get up close and personal with the Pokémon, so I changed into a swimsuit then dove into the water, Aurora hanging onto my shoulder as I swam down into the depths.

All kinds of Pokémon lived here, it was pretty cool. I swam down towards the bottom of the lake and some of the more courageous Pokémon came to check us out, curious to see us up close before a school of Finneon began to swim swiftly around us in a circle before shooting off. Those are just like Zoe's Finneon! They're so pretty.

I swam back up to the surface and gasped for air, pushing my hair back from my face as Aurora shook out her fur, making me giggle as she sprayed water all over me. "Watch it Aurora! You're getting water all over me again." I laughed before swimming towards her as she smiled. "How about we study the Finneon, does that sound good to you?" Aurora nodded her head with a soft sound of agreement so we dove back down and followed after them, watching them closely.

They always swam in a school, never breaking apart from one another and they were quite playing too. Aurora grabbed a hold of one of them and went shooting through the lake, cheering happily as the Finneon then gracefully leaped up into the air, jumping out of the water before diving back down again. Sweet!

Once I was out of the water I made several sketches and wrote some notes on them and looked through my Pokédex for some extra information before I was all done with my project research. Looking across the bank I saw a couple of the kids trying to get closer to the water Pokémon but every time they got too close, the Pokémon either dove back into the water to hide or showered them with a Water Gun attack, soaking them through. I chuckled, glanced at Aurora then got up.

"It's not fair! How are we supposed to make sketches and draw pictures if we can't even see them properly?!" One of the kids demanded hotly as I walked over, arms folded.

"You could try being a little nicer you know." I suggested and the kid from the red team turned a glare at me as the other kids blinked.

"What do you know? You're just a stupid grown up." I arched an eyebrow then moved forwards with Aurora at my side. I crouched at the water's edge and reached out a hand over the water before beginning to wriggle my fingers, splashing slightly and slowly, the Pokémon began to curiously pop up closer to the bank, watching me carefully as I smiled.

"Hey there everyone, it's nice to meet you." I greeted softly then pulled out some Pokémon food. "Here, try some of this. It's good for you." I invited then scattered some over the water and the Pokémon all dashed in to take a nibble and all the kids gasped in awe.

"How'd you do that?"

"Simple. I didn't try to approach them, I let them approach me first." I answered. "You see, you've got to let Pokémon feel comfortable around you, especially wild ones, so let them decide a comfortable distance if you want to get close to them, then earn their trust." I pulled out my flute and began to play some music which Aurora sat down to listen to, closing her eyes as I continued to play a soft melody.

This drew in Pokémon from all over the lake, popping up from the water and even climbed out of the water to listen closer to my playing. The kids took this chance and began to sketch the Pokémon they wanted to study. After a while I stopped playing and let the children make their own way in researching their Pokémon.

The presentations were fun and I earned my team a full ten points before I met up with the gang for dinner where I asked them about the Lumineon they saw. "Did it really draw in Pokémon?" I asked and Angie nodded her head.

"Yeah, my Shinx disappeared because of it just like I said." Angie told me. "It tail flashes blue and it's like the Pokémon were in a trance or something."

"Awesome. So Dawn, is Conway still stalking you?" I questioned and she shivered.

"Don't mention it. It's starting to creep me out." I arched an eyebrow at her with a blank expression.

"It didn't creep you out before?" The day after we were on ghost patrol, which meant we were observed on how well we dealt with ghost Pokémon during a race. We were told to pair up and a little girl from another dorm on my team shyly asked to be my partner, as she was worried that anyone else would laugh at her if she screamed when she saw a ghost Pokémon. "No need to worry Kim, I'll take good care of you." I promised her with a smile.

We teamed up at the starting line and when the go was given, we started off running before slowing down. "So…where's your Riolu? You call it Aurora, right?" Kim asked, looking around to see I didn't have a Pokémon out with me right now.

"She was tired with all the swimming we did yesterday and all the playing she's been doing today with the other Pokémon, so she's having a rest." I told Kim as we shone our flashlights ahead of us. "But don't worry, if we get attacked, I can call out any of my Pokémon and we'll be perfectly safe." Kim gulped, shifting closer and gripping onto my jacket as she looked around.

"Are…are you sure?"

"Of course I am! You know, I have a giant Charizard who is very protective of people smaller than him, so if I call him out to keep us safe, there's no doubt he'll be the one scaring away the ghost Pokémon." I assured her as we walked. Not a moment later, Kim screamed loudly, leaping forwards then spun around.

"SOMETHING JUST GRABBED ME!"

"Huh?" I blinked then felt a cold hand grip my shoulder suddenly, but I only laughed. "It's okay, it's just a Haunter." I said, turning around to shine my torch on the mischievous Haunter who stared at me in surprise whilst Kim trembled. "Nice try but I'm not scared. Off you go, and try not to get into any more trouble." I directed, turning around and pulled Kim away as she shivered like a leaf in a cold wind, the Haunter scratching his head in confusion before disappearing.

"You…you…you weren't scared?" Kim questioned.

"Nope. Ghost Pokémon only want to scare you a little because they think it's funny. They won't actually hurt you." We walked together for a while longer before we encountered our next ghost Pokémon. It leaped out straight in front of us, a Banette, Shuppet and Duskull. Kim screamed again but this time, I was already on the case. "Shieldon, come out here and use Metal Sound!" I called, tossing out my Pokéball and Shieldon appeared with a cry.

"Shieldon! Shield…on!" He opened his mouth and the air was filled with his metallic screech, powering over the ghost Pokémon and they wailed before shooting out of sight, not bothering to stick around. "Shield?"

"Great work Shieldon." I praised but before I could reach out to rub his head, Kim had thrown her arms around him and was hugging him tight.

"Oh thank you! Thank you Shieldon thank you! You saved us!" She gushed and I chuckled.

"Would you feel safer if you held Shieldon for a while?" Kim nodded her head with a fearful expression so I took her hand and walked with her as she hugged Shieldon in her other arm. We stuck to the straight path before climbing up the steps to the ruins where we saw Angie, Ash and a strange girl standing at the top. "Hey Ash, no surprise seeing you here first." I said with a smile. "Looks like we both got our Summit Ruins medal." Kim picked one out, tilting it left and right to see it shine in the moonlight, making her giggle happily. Suddenly we all heard spooky laughter which instantly set me on edge, cautiously looking to the strange girl who stood before a cave entrance. "Ash…who is that?" I asked in a whisper as she beckoned us closer.

"This way, over here." She called softly and we all blinked.

"Is there something in there?" Ash questioned and the girl continued her sickening smile.

"Yes, let's go. Together." Ash and Angie stepped forwards but before they could even get close to the girl, a Dusknoir appeared and blocked the way, spreading his hands wide to stop Ash and Angie from moving forwards.

"Check it out, a Dusknoir!" Angie said and I blinked in surprise before holding out a hand to cover Kim who began to tremble again, completely terrified at this point.

"Shieldon, get Kim out of here and fast." I ordered and Shieldon nodded his head before jumping out of Kim's arms and began to push her back down the ruins, making her snap out of it before they both ran to safety.

The Dusknoir used Psychic on Shinx and Pikachu, holding them down to the ground and I whirled around as Ash and Angie tried to run forwards to protect the girl as Dusknoir aimed a Shadow Ball at her. "She's going to get hurt!"

"Ash wait!" I called out but Dusknoir fixed them both in place with Psychic again. "Ash, I don't think that she's a real girl." I said slowly, watching her closely as the Pokémon broke out of their hold.

"I don't care, she needs help! Pikachu use Volt Tackle!"

"Shinx, use Thunder Fang!" Angie directed but I called out desperately.

"Pikachu stop!" But Pikachu launched forwards alongside Shinx and took down Dusknoir, making the little girl laugh as Ash and Angie were let up.

"Let's play now." She whispered, beckoning us forwards as a mysterious purple and red light appeared behind her. "Come on let's play now, I want you all to come with me."

"I told you she wasn't real!" I yelled as a powerful dragging force began to drag us towards the entrance like a gale force wind, lifting Angie up and both Ash and I grabbed onto her arm as she yelled in fear.

"Angie!"

"Ash!"

"Angie! Just don't let go of my hand!" He yelled over the wind as I tried to maintain my grip on the side, though it was getting harder and harder to achieve as the wind became stronger and stronger to fight against.

"Ash, just let go, it's no use! If you don't then you'll end up coming with me!" Angie wailed but Ash shouted back with determination.

"No, I won't! I'll never give up! Even if that means _forever_!"

"Yeah, just hang in there! We'll be alright!" I shouted over the noise of rushing air, grunting as I tried to get a better grip but my movement caused my hand to slip and I cried out. "No!"

"Shieldon!" Shieldon suddenly appeared, grabbing a hold of my hand and anchored my down with all his strength, pulling me back so that Angie didn't slip any further towards the vortex.

"Shieldon? You came back!" I beamed down at him with tears in my eyes. "I love you Shieldon, you're the best."

"Shieldon!" He beamed at me. Just then the Dusknoir woke up and pulled both Angie and Ash towards him, so I let go of Angie's hand and tried to pull myself out of danger, Shieldon trying to help pull but with his grip not being very secure, my hand slipped right through. "Shieldon! Shield Shieldon!"

"Ruby!" Ash yelled and tried to grab onto me as I screamed.

"ASH!" Our fingers brushed as we tried to grab one another but then I lost my grip on him too and I went flying towards the entrance. "No! NO!"

"RUBY!" Ash's voice thundered as my heart trembled, my eyes widening before without thinking, I pushed all my fear away from me as I thrust out my hands, turning my head away but as I did so, a ball of energy flew out from where it had gathered into a sphere and shot out towards the girl as she laughed, cutting that laughter short as she reared backwards from the hit and connected with the wall.

As she screamed in anger, I felt my body stop in place and looked to see Dusknoir was using Psychic on me, holding me back as the portal disintegrated the moment the spirit girl had been sucked in and rocks collapsed before it, blocking the entrance once more. The moment it was all over, Dusknoir gently let me down.

"Ruby! Ruby are you okay?" Ash asked as he ran to my side.

"Shieldon!" Shieldon jumped into my arms and I hugged him as Ash put his arms around me, holding me close as I took deep breaths.

"Did you see that?" I questioned him, looking at my hands. "I just used Aura Sphere!"

"You sure did, looks like you're really starting to crack your training." Ash said with a smile as I stood up, placing Shieldon on my shoulder then tried to gather aura energy in my hands and push it out like I had seen Maylene's Lucario do but nothing happened. "Well, almost." Ash laughed so I glared at him.

"Shut up genius, I did it before! Why won't it work now?" I questioned before shaking my head. "Never mind. The most important thing now is that we're safe. Thanks to Dusknoir that is." I smiled up at Dusknoir. "You saved us all. Thank you."

"Dusknoir." He bowed his head to us before rising up into the sky, calling out one last time before disappearing. I pulled Shieldon off my shoulder and hugged him close, glad that he was okay and that we were all still part of the real world. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Pokémon will never stop surprising you, and it looks like the world won't either.


	36. Chapter 36

Last day of the Pokémon summer camp was a triathlon, and it looked totally awesome! As I stood at the starting line, I was itching to start running. "Better watch out Ruby, that first place spot is all mine." Ash said to me and I snorted in reply.

"You wish genius. Please, do tell me what dust tastes like when you start tasting mine." We both narrowed our eyes and focused on the track ahead of us. When the pop gun sounded, we all powered forwards. I was surprised when Jessalinda raced out ahead of us, but when I started to focus on running, my speed quickly pulled me out into second place as I turned around and waved. "See you later! Was nice seeing you!" I called before bolting ahead. Jessalinda was already at the Pokéball stand, but upon finding her choice had been Hippowdon, she tried to exchange for a different Pokémon but the assistant blew his whistle loudly in her face.

"Exchanging Pokéballs is forbidden by the rules." He said as I reached out and grabbed one.

"That's right, so come on out Pokémon!" I cheered and when a Rapidash appeared, rearing up with fiery mane and tail, I squealed. "No way, it's a Rapidash! And it's so pretty!" My eyes sparkled as I nuzzled its face and gently stroked its long nose, feeling it smile into me as it nuzzled back but then Jessalinda jumped onto its back.

"Sorry twerp, but this was the Pokémon meant for me. I'll trade you for this lovely Hippowdon! Now go Rapidash!" She called but Rapidash reared up, flinging back its head and tipped Jessalinda off its back, making me laugh as I sprang up and took its place, taking a firm grip with my thighs as I turned it around expertly.

"Better leave the advanced Pokémon to me. Let's go Rapidash!" I called and Rapidash cried out before galloping forwards. I cheered excitedly, gripping onto its neck and tangling my hands among the flames which didn't do a thing to hurt me, being cool and not at all hot.

When Angie and her Ariados began to catch up by swinging through the trees with String Shot, I laughed as I turned back to her. "Nice try Angie, but you're going to need more than that to catch up with me! Go Rapidash, use Take Down to gain more speed!" Rapidash began to speed up, trailing a pale golden light behind it before powering towards the lake.

The thrill of the gallop surged through me as I held on. Wow, galloping with Ponyta was fun, but nothing like this at all! Rapidash was just so much more powerful and the speed was even more exciting! When we got to the lake, Rapidash skidded to a halt and I leaped off, panting for breath as I reached out and stroked its nose. "Thank you Rapidash, you were awesome." I said before returning it to its Pokéball and selecting another. "Okay Pokéball, go!"

"Spheal! Spheal! Spheal!" The little balloon shaped Pokémon cheered as it rolled on the ground in front of me.

"Uh…okay. Well you're adorable at least." I smiled before jumping into the lake with it. "Come on Spheal, let's go!" I called and Spheal began to swim forwards, though very slowly compared to the last sprint we'd just had. "Oh great."

"I've seen sleeping Snorlax move faster than you!" Angie called as she surfed passed on a Lapras.

"Oh yeah? Well we'll show you!" I yelled back then tried to think of a plan as Ash, Dawn and Brock all surfed straight past me, as well as all the other participants. Okay think, what can I do to speed things up a bit? "Spheal, use Water Gun, full blast!" I called, turning around and held onto Spheal as it took a deep breath then powered a Water Gun attack. Just like I'd planned, we went shooting backwards, making me laugh before we skidded across the bank on the ground, me holding onto Spheal. "Thanks buddy, that was cool how you handled that." I smiled down at the cheerful Pokémon before returning it to the box. Now for the run.

I picked up the speed and bolted for the finish line, overtaking all the kids as well as Dawn and Brock before heading into a cave where I continued to sprint. There was no way I was going to come in last, I had to try and catch up with Ash and Angie.

Exiting the cave I ran like crazy, not stopping even as I saw the finish line and Ash pass over first with Angie in second. Oh well, there's always third, though Jessalinda and Conway were both crawling for it. Just one last push!

Streaking past the line ahead of them, I cheered as I leaped up into the air and took third place, laughing happily as I spun around then gripped Ash's hand in a fist, the two of us smirking at one another. "We did it!" We both chorused together before Ash swung me around.

"You were awesome! I've never seen anyone run so fast!" He said as I laughed.

"True, but you've always been so _slow_ , genius! So of course I seem fast compared to you." I teased before punching him playfully on the shoulder, gasping for air as Pikachu leaped at me.

"Pikachu Pi!" Catching him mid spring I laughed again and hugged him close.

"You were awesome Pikachu, keeping Ash from falling over is something you should be proud of!"

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said, scratching his head with a smile before he jumped up and sat on my shoulder. Conway and Jessalinda collapsed at the finish line, their hands clawing at the ground as they struggled for breath, completely exhausted. Well, goes to show you can't always rely on Pokémon. You have to be physically fit as well.

That night I called out all my Pokémon to join the bonfire, and Charizard and Ponyta used Flamethrower to get it going before all roasted marshmallows and had a laugh about all the good times we'd had over the week.

Dawn drew a lot of attention from some of the older boys, like Conway and Kendal, but I only had to give one nod to Charizard and he sent them all running, slapping his tail on the ground behind Dawn and the boys all shrieked and ran out of there as Dawn giggled. "Thank you Charizard, you're a lifesaver." Dawn thanked and Charizard nodded his head smugly as I sat up on his shoulder with Aurora settled on his other.

Ponyta helped kept the fire going, Shieldon throwing on extra logs with the help of some of the other Pokémon and I smiled as it blazed in front of us. I'd taken a lot of photos over the week. Ones with me and Vulpix, or the gang and all of their borrowed Pokémon, ones with people like Kim and Angie as we made new friends and even a couple with our teachers and Professor Rowan, just so that we didn't forget a single thing.

Professor Rowan seemed very interested in my blue fired Ponyta and actually asked if I'd consider leaving him behind for some research, but I explained how I liked to keep my Pokémon close, and that Professor Oak has already called dibs on researching Ponyta when I get home. The professor understood, and didn't press.

We all sat under the stars that night way past lights out time as a special end of camp treat, though the assistants began ushering the younger kids to bed sooner than the rest of us older ones. I noticed how Angie blushed a little whenever Ash talked to her, and I don't think it was because of the fire. It seems the genius has got himself an admirer, how adorable.

I jumped down from Charizard's shoulder and knelt down to rub the heads and faces of all my Pokémon as they gathered closer, smiling as Aurora jumped up onto my back and hung over my shoulder with a playful smile. "Well, camp's over. We'll be back on the road tomorrow, so we'd all better get some rest." I murmured quietly. "I want you to know how much I love you all, and that I promise to always do my best for you. Being here at camp, it's like rediscovering my love for Pokémon all over again, how much I love being in their company and reminding me how lucky I am to have you guys." Charizard growled softly and nuzzled my face, almost knocking off my hat and I giggled. "Goodnight, sleep well everyone." I said as I began to return them all except for Aurora, who preferred to stay outside her Pokéball. I think she was like Pikachu, she found it too crowding and submissive, so I tried to put her in there as little as possible.

Walking back to the dorm, I glanced back at the bonfire one last time before smiling and walking inside, ready for a good night's sleep.


	37. Chapter 37

When we returned to Hearthome City, it was to find that the gym leader Fantina had returned but instead of accepting an official challenge from Ash, they had an ordinary battle outside, where Ash had trouble dealing with Hypnosis, which seemed to be the gym leader's signature move.

After a crushing defeat, Ash was dead set on trying to find a way to get around the Hypnosis, however progress was a little slow. We continued our journey towards Dawn's next contest, stopping at a mountain cabin for the day so that Brock could head down the mountain to fetch medicine supplies, but when Pachirisu became sick, all hell broke loose.

Dawn was in a fit of worry and Ash had no idea what to do, so I did my best to deal with the problem without Brock. I knew to expose Pachirisu's tail, but she was feverish and her voltage was way too high as she was crackling constantly at her cheeks, meaning she was overloaded with electricity. Probably when she'd been shocked with a shower of cold water and had sparked off angrily at Ash and the water had conducted it back into her body, trapping it inside.

There wasn't anything I could do about the electricity until Brock got back with the equipment, and after discharging the excess electricity, Pachirisu was back on the mend. We'd decided that Dawn and Ash needed medical training, so we actually spent a couple of days both on the road and stopping in towns teaching them both how to deal with as many situations we could think of, using the Pokémon for them to practice bandaging and I wrote two copies of detailed instructions about how to deal with a simple graze, to a common cold or to a serious injury that needed to be treated right away.

After that, it was straight on to Dawn's contest. But first, it's time for some shopping! There was a store in the city full to the brim with items and clothing made and designed by a world famous Pokéstylist called Lyla, who also used to be a Pokémon coordinator and had battled Dawn's mother in her youth, even defeating her.

"Here it is, awesome!" Dawn squealed as she walked inside.

"Dawn this is so great! Look! They've got Wallace's stage costume!" Brock said, shooting over to the model of the costume Wallace wore when he was in the top coordinator carnival, according to Dawn. I looked around and saw so many pretty and amazing things, but all with prices to match. There was no way I could afford any of this.

After browsing, Brock and I had to literally drag Dawn away from the store to take her to her contest before she became late or missed the entire thing. "Dawn you have to leave, now!" I grunted as I pulled on her arm.

"Wait! Let me just look through these accessories one last time!" She pleaded but both Brock and I answered together with a yell.

" _No!_ " Finally we pulled her free and we all hurried to the contest stadium where Dawn rushed off to get ready and we took our seats in the hall, getting a good view of the stage. I didn't have any Pokémon out with me today, as Aurora didn't like being surrounded by so many people, and everyone else was pretty tired from the special intense training we'd been practicing yesterday and some of the morning, so I was letting them rest.

"Alright! Let's get things started." Lilian called out brightly to the audience and they all cheered wildly. "We'll get underway with a beautiful and always exciting appeals round! Presenting our first coordinator. This lovely lady is making her first appearance in twenty years! Please welcome the tiger lily of Celestic Town, Lyla!" She announced and instantly my jaw dropped.

"She's _here_?! Wow! Dawn's going to go crazy when she meets her." I said and Brock nodded his head. "Imagine if they got to the finals? Now that would be a battle worth seeing." Swinub sniffed its snout as he sat on my lap and I fed him a poffin to keep him satisfied, one of my own recipes inspired by Professor Oak's expanding Pokéblock. Basically a poffin that did the same thing then boom, an instantly hunger satisfied Swinub.

Lyla brought out a Cherrim which instantly transformed when it came into contact with sunlight, which instantly caused every heart in the stadium to melt. Cherrim showed off its Magical Leaf and Sunny Day wonderfully, filling the stadium with a picture of a glowing green flower which had the whole audience gasping in awe. Yup. It's like she never left.

There were some awesome and very beautiful performances, though some were a little bit of a let-down, like Jessalina, who basically pulled the same stunt as before by using her Pokémon to show off herself and fly through the air. That was just…painful to watch.

However everything became better when Dawn appeared on stage. She seemed so calm and confident that it had all of us cheering even as she called out Buneary. Buneary used Bounce, jumping all over the stage before spinning on her ears in the most adorable way and the entire crowd loved it. Buneary then used Ice Beam to make a tall slide which she slid down then skated gracefully across the ice, looking like she was having the time of her life.

Buneary hopped onto her ears with Dizzy Punch, the colours shining brightly on the ice as Buneary skated then started to spin, though after a few moments, she began to lose control. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Buneary fly through the air, spinning out of control but then Dawn caught her in one hand and posed, smiling broadly and Buneary copied it, as if it had been planned all along and the crowd went wild, cheering for Buneary's adorableness and Dawn's quick thinking.

Ash and Brock went down to see Dawn so I stayed out to keep an eye on the Pokémon as the results were decided by the judges. Who would go through and who wouldn't. I crossed my fingers and my toes. Dawn looked great out there. There's just no way she couldn't make it through, I know she'll do it.

When the pictures started to flash up on screen, I held my breath once more. Lyla was through straight away, which was a no brainer, but the pictures went all the way to the last spot with no Dawn. Come on, she has to make it through! Finally the last spot appeared and I sighed with relief as Dawn's face smiled down at me. "Way to go Dawn." I murmured as the Pokémon all cheered. "Alright guys, make sure you cheer for Dawn and Ambipom extra loud, okay?" I said and they all beamed at me.

"Piplup Pip!"

"Chipa Chipa!"

"Swinub!" They all answered and I chuckled before turning to watch the stage. I always love watching contests, almost as much as I love being in them, but the most exciting battles were always Dawn's and Lyla's, so when it came to the final round with the both of them facing off, I was psyched and ready to watch and awesome battle.

It kicked off with a spinning Swift, but Lyla got her Delcatty to dodge with Substitute, putting a fake Delcatty in its place before the real one appeared behind Ambipom and wrapped itself up in her tail to use Shockwave with great strength and power, creating a beautiful display that had my mouth hanging open in awe.

Dawn quickly countered back with Double Team into Focus Punch, which should have a great effect on Delcatty being a normal type, however something strange happened. Ambipom suddenly started acting all weird, gazing at Delcatty with a star struck expression. Oh yeah! Delcatty's special ability is Cute Charm, which means that sometimes when a Pokémon of the opposite gender hits, it can cause the attacker to become infatuated with the other and fall in love. Bad news for Dawn.

Delcatty used Sing to put Ambipom to sleep then Iron Tail to fling her around like a rag doll. However when Ambipom was hit with Shockwave, it seemed to wake her up and snap her out of attract status. Alright! Now hit them with everything you've got Dawn, you _have_ to make every move count!

Dawn went for Swift but this time when Lyla countered with Substitute, both Ambipom and Dawn were ready and got behind Delcatty for a Double Hit attack. Delcatty went flying to the ground but Ambipom was once again attracted to Delcatty, making it hard for Dawn to get Ambipom to attack, however she played her best card by using Double Team.

I watched in great anticipation as Delcatty started to use Sing, but Ambipom managed to use Double Hit at Dawn's command to knock the musical notes back and even strike down Delcatty. Ambipom snapped out of her attract and obeyed Dawn's order of Sift, leaping up into the air as Delcatty countered with Shockwave after being hit the first time by the fountain of stars.

It was amazing and beautiful, seeing the two attacks combine to make a swirling mass that glittered brightly, lighting up the entire stage before Ambipom broke through and struck Delcatty again with Swift just as the time ran out. "Time's up! So, who will be getting the Celestic Town contest ribbon?" Lilian questioned as the result was put on the main screen. "It's Dawn and her Ambipom!" We all leaped up and began to cheer loudly in celebration, the Pokémon all chorusing loudly as we shouted out Dawn's name and whooped for joy. That's her third ribbon, no need to worry, Dawn's on her way to the Grand Festival very soon!

When the award ceremony was over, Lyla brought us back to her shop which was now closed, so we had it all to ourselves. "Dawn, to celebrate your victory, you may pick out whatever you like. Guys? That goes for you as well." She told us and I gasped as I stood with Aurora, Shieldon and Leafeon.

"You mean it? Really?" I questioned before we all chorused together. "Lyla, thanks so much!" I dashed around the store, looking for something special but not too greedy. Aurora surrounded herself with sparkling things, wearing necklaces, bracelets and even a cute little tiara on her head which made me beam at her. It was made of silver with a ruby at the centre, glittering brightly with flowers all neatly entwined to make a simple yet beautiful accessory. "You look beautiful." I told Aurora as she twirled for me.

"I agree, but I think I know someone that tiara will suit even better." Lyla said as she took off my hat, expertly brushed out my hair with fast strokes of a brush she pulled out from her bag, making be blink I surprise before she twisted it back in a quick, elaborate design then pinned it in place before scooting me over to a changing room. "Now put this, this and this on. Oh and this!" She instructed me, throwing me a dress covered with a protective plastic covering as well as some jewellery. "And don't forget these!" A pair of shoes were tossed in after me, making me squeak as I caught them before staring at everything. What is all this?

I undressed then opened the bag to look at the dress inside and instantly gasped, staring with adoration at the beautiful gown. It was a dress of rich burgundy silk yet with a simple design. It had thin straps and a silver sequin pattern bordering the heart shaped neckline that would sit modestly high on my chest. As I slipped into it I made sure so take extra care of it, though I noted the price and I almost whipped it back off again. The shoes were strappy and flashy with studded fake white gems to match the sequins on the top of my dress and add a little more flash to it as well. I looked at my neckerchief and took it off, leaving on my own necklace but I did put on the one Lyla had handed me as well, as it scooped down over my chest in a large pale pink pendant that added more flash.

Pulling the bangles onto the opposite wrist to my charm bracelets, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and almost didn't recognise myself. I just…couldn't believe that the girl staring back at me wearing a priceless dress and all these _real_ jewels was actually me.

"Hey Ruby! You nearly done in there?" Dawn called out and I gulped.

"Yeah. I'm coming out." I announced but then Lyla squeaked.

"No! Stay right there, let me look at you first before you show your friends." With that she slipped into the large dressing room with me, springing all around me to inspect me from all angles. "Don't need this, don't need those, add a little this and that…" She attacked me with makeup, making me squeak and flinch back before she made me stand still.

Lyla had taken off the necklace she'd given me, saying it was far too flashy and degrading, preferring my own necklace and she removed the bangles too as apparently they just didn't work, though she liked the personal touch of my charm bracelets before making me take them off and put on some silk white gloves that stretched all the way up my arms and a little past my elbows. "What's all this for?" I asked and she just beamed down at me.

"I'm a stylist, darling, and when I see something with potential, I just have to see what I can do with it!" She declared. "Now hold still, I'm almost done." She'd highlighted my face by contouring, bronzing my cheeks ever so slightly and used eyeshadow that gave a bronzed smoky cat eye effect, bringing out the brightness of my blue eyes that she described as "luminous". My lashes were curled and plastered with mascara, though when I looked at myself, it was as if Lyla had done nothing at all.

She'd brought out all my features naturally, you could only see the makeup around my eyes because it was so striking yet extremely well done. My lips were rosy and shiny with gloss and my hair was perfectly neat and well groomed, styled so that it curled into a tidy bun at the base of my neck with a little lift around my head so that it didn't look like it was being restricted.

"There…you're ready." Lyla announced then ushered me to stand in front of the curtain. "Get ready everyone for my masterpiece!" She called then swung back the curtain to reveal me. Just before Lyla had added a white silk belt and tied it neatly in a bow at my waist, added a little more colour to the plain deep red as I stepped out with a shy and slightly embarrassed look on my face as everyone stared at me. Even Croagunk seemed shocked by my transformation, and he doesn't even do facial expressions!

"Ruby…you look…"

"Ridiculous?" I offered. "It's how I feel."

"No! No you look beautiful!" Dawn quickly corrected me as Brock nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll say. That's got to be the prettiest dress I've ever seen, and it suits you perfectly." He told me and I blushed further, burning bright red. "You look amazing in it."

"Yeah Ruby! Who knew you could look so…girly." Ash said but when I shot him a glare, he quickly tried to retrace his footsteps and recover himself. "I mean that in a good way! You look really pretty!"

"Doesn't she just? Just one more thing. Ah, thank you dear." Lyla smiled as Aurora held out the tiara she had been wearing and Lyla then crowned me with it. It was like she'd styled my hair exactly for that crown. It fit perfectly, resting on my soft hair as the ruby glittered brightly.

"It's a ruby for Ruby!" Dawn giggled. "Wow, I can't believe how different you look!" At Dawn's words I managed to lift my head and smile, tilting my head to the side slightly but when I saw Brock snapping a photo, I instantly panicked.

"No! Delete that right now!"

"Nope. This one is staying where I can prove to everyone that you're not some grubby Ursaring all the time." He laughed, lifting my camera out of reach as I lunged for it. "It's just a photo, no big deal."

"It is to me!" I yelled back as Lyla laughed.

"Well it's decided. You simply must take all of this with you!" She declared and I spun around, staring in shock. "Dawn was telling me all about how you too are a coordinator, and how much you have helped her. Because of you, we were able to have such a wonderful battle today, so I insist you take everything that you are wearing, so that when you return to Sinnoh contests, you will look utterly ravishing and I shall be proud to see you wearing a dress from my collection!" She cheered, snapping her fingers and instantly she had three assistants behind her. "Would you mind packing all these items for our good friends here? And throw in a few surprise gifts as well."

"Yes ma'am." They agreed and I was ushered back into the changing room. Once I was back in my own clothes, I immediately felt more comfortable and I was glad to wipe all that makeup off my face, however I couldn't deny how happy I was to be receiving such a beautiful dress. But the shoes and the tiara as well? That was too much.

No matter how much I tried to tell Lyla it was far too much for her to simply give to me, she wouldn't hear a word of it and I had no choice but to take it with sincere gratitude and thanks. We waved goodbye as we left and head back to the Pokémon centre, where Dawn instantly unpacked all her gifts and admired them all. She had new hair accessories for herself and her Pokémon, a couple of the latest magazines containing newest designs and trends, a new necklace, stylist sewing case with all things a designer would need and a cute clutch bag that suited Dawn perfectly.

Looking down at my things, I couldn't help but smile. Lyla had given me my own Pokéball capsules, some awesome seals that I couldn't wait to try out, notebooks containing detailed directions on how to fix your hair and makeup into different styles and plenty of utensils to make those looks happen. There was a pallet of eyeshadow of all the colours you could think of, lipsticks and lip glosses of all kinds of reds, pinks, nudes and even some wild ones like black and dark blue, mascaras, false eyelashes of all kinds, curling tongs, straighteners, hairspray and a tonne of other stuff. "Dawn, don't you feel at all bad at getting all this free stuff? It would take me a lifetime just to save up for half of it!"

"No need to worry! Lyla is so wealthy from all her success that she can afford to be a little charitable to people like us. It's not like we're bankrupting her, and she wanted to give this all away!" Dawn said with an excited grin before holding up a seal. "Hey, do you have this one too?" I picked it out from my collection. Rainbow sparkles, bound to dazzle any audience, said the description. "This one would look great with Ambipom's Swift entrance, don't you think?"

"I think you're right." I agreed as I gave one last adoring look at the dress that was neatly folded away in its protective bag and the box that held my new tiara before I sealed up the cardboard box I'd picked up and sealed it up, placing my home address on the top to send home first thing in the morning.

"Aren't you going to keep it with you?" Dawn questioned in surprise and I chuckled.

"That dress wouldn't last a day out on the road, let alone the tiara. I'm sending everything home where it will be safe and when I need it, I'll go back for it all. For now, I don't need to carry all this stuff around with me."

"You're right. Maybe I should send some stuff home too." Dawn said thoughtfully before yawning. "Well, I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to sleep." She announced, settling down under her covers. "Goodnight Ruby."

"Night Dawn. Sleep well." I answered back as Aurora jumped down from the window and bounded over to my bed as I put the box aside then climbed into bed too. We nestled down together and I smiled as Aurora instinctively curled into me, finding comfort as her paw gripped onto my shirt. With a smile I closed my eyes and swiftly went to sleep.


	38. Chapter 38

Ash was working hard on a new move that he believed would work against the Hypnosis attack. He was training really hard with all his Pokémon, all he needed was a Pokémon to practice against, and since there was only one Pokémon that we knew who loved to hypnotise and sing, it had to be Jigglypuff.

After a quick call to Professor Oak, he sent over Jigglypuff and the moment I had her Pokéball in hand, I tossed it up into the air. "Come on out Jigglypuff! I've missed you!"

"Jiggly! Jigglypuff Puff!" She cheered, puffing up like a large pink balloon before tackling me with a hug and doubling me over as I laughed, Aurora springing out the way as I hugged Jigglypuff close as she squealed, overjoyed to be back with me.

"Wow! So that's your Jigglypuff? She looks so cute! I almost can't believe she's as tough as you say she is." Dawn smiled down at me and Jigglypuff gave her a smug look that made me laugh even harder.

"You're in trouble now Dawn, Jigglypuff is going to show you the real meaning of tough very soon." I told her but then stopped when I heard on the news something about the theft of the adamant orb. "Huh?" We both walked over to join the boys, Aurora and Jigglypuff sitting on my shoulders as we watched the news.

"We have just received a report from Officer Jenny who was actually on the transport at the time of the incident. Stating that the organisation responsible for the theft call themselves Team Galactic. They are reported to be a secret organisation with operations throughout the Sinnoh region. They are also believed to have some connection to the recent meteorite theft in Veilstone City, however at this point their motives remain unclear." Rhonda the reporter continued to describe the events of where the orb was headed as Jigglypuff growled, inflating her body angrily.

"I know Jigglypuff, you hate bad guys just as much as I do." I said quietly, reaching back and rubbing her head to calm her down as Rhonda finished her report.

"This is quite a serious situation, and the champion is scheduled to return soon." Nurse Joy said with worry, making us all blink.

"Are you talking about Cynthia?" Ash asked in bewilderment before I whacked the back of his head.

"No genius, she's talking about some other champion of the Sinnoh region." I drawled with a roll of my eyes as both Aurora and Jigglypuff copied my movements in perfect synchrony. Nurse Joy only chuckled.

"Yes. Celestic Town is where Cynthia is from, and her grandmother is in charge of everything that goes on in the research centre." She explained and I looked at Dawn as she turned to face me.

"We should go see her if she's here and say hey." I suggested and Dawn nodded her head.

"Yeah!" Suddenly Brock sprang over to Nurse Joy and knelt before her, taking her hand in his as he gazed up at her adoringly.

"Nurse Joy, can't you see that you're _my_ lustrous orb? I'd do anything to protect you." He declared for blinking and looking around. "Alright, what's up?" He questioned Croagunk who had failed to snap Brock out of his delirium. Strange, Croagunk is just staring out the window.

"That's weird." Ash said quietly as we all looked at him.

"What's with Croagunk?" Well, if no one else is going to do it then I should. I walked over to Brock and grabbed him by the ear.

"Come on. Nurse Joy may be lustrous but you're way too adamant just to get a date." Brock cringed and yelped in pain as I dragged him away and out the door, the others following and Croagunk blinked before slowly moving after us. "Are you okay Croagunk?" I asked as I let go of Brock and looked down at him. In answer he just croaked at me.

"Maybe he's just feeling a little tired. You should get some rest buddy." Brock suggested, returning Croagunk to his Pokéball before turning to Jigglypuff. "Now there's a face I haven't seen in a long time. It's good to see you Jigglypuff."

"Jiggly!" She called back, saluting as Ash clenched his fists excitedly.

"I'm so glad you're here. Now I can train against your singing and try to keep my Pokémon awake so that we're ready to battle Fantina!" He cheered, punching the air. "Next badge, here I come!" In answer Jigglypuff leaped off my shoulder and started to Double Slap Ash across the face, glaring before jumping back onto my shoulder, making Aurora and I giggle as Ash wavered on the spot. "Ow...that hurt…"

"Guess Jigglypuff though you needed to snap out of it genius. Come on, let's go see Cynthia." I called, leading the way forwards. The research facility was easy enough to find and we were all impressed by how large it was.

"Hey it's Ash." Cynthia's voice said softly and Brock was instantly racing over to her as we called out.

"Hi Cynthia!" Ash and I chorused with a wave as Dawn smiled.

"It's been a while!"

"Too long to see the champion!" Brock declared, staring adoringly up at Cynthia's pretty face, making her chuckle quietly as a severe looking old woman stepped forwards, giving us all a stern, scrutinising look as we approached.

"Who are the children?"

"I told you about them, remember?" Cynthia prompted. "They're the ones who love to challenge everything." This made her laugh.

"Oh-ho! The impetuous ways of rebellious youth." She noted as she stepped closer to us for a closer look.

"Allow me to introduce grandmother. Her name is Carolina and she is in charge of the research centre." Thankfully Ash seemed to be wearing his well mannered hat on today.

"Wow, it's such a pleasure to meet you. A real honour." He said with a bow of his head to Carolina who arched an eyebrow delicately at him as we all mimicked his greeting.

"Nice to meet you."

"Thank you. The pleasure is all mine. I've heard so much about you." She returned, warming to us finally and I gave a smile to Jigglypuff and Aurora before following both Cynthia and her grandmother towards the entrance of the facility. "Cynthia was just speaking to me recently about all your rivals Ash." Carolina said and Cynthia lifted her head.

"What ended up happening with Paul?" She asked and Ash looked down with a sigh.

"We had a battle since but well…you know…" Ash trailed off and Carolina leaned forwards with a smile.

"I venture to guess that you still can't defeat my granddaughter either." She boasted a little but with a warm pride in her face that made Cynthia blush ever so slightly.

"Grandmother, stop that." Cynthia told Carolina gently and her grandmother smiled at her broadly with a chuckle.

"The thing is, since we last saw you we've been training like crazy and made a bunch of new friends." Ash announced and Carolina whirled around suddenly with a decisive expression that startled us all a little.

"Hey I like your spunk. At least they can't take that away from you, can they?" She said and Ash gripped his head in frustration before blurting out his request to Cynthia.

"So, why don't you and I have a battle right now?" He asked and Cynthia blinked at him in surprise, then again as I whacked him on the back of his head and grounded him instantly, paving his face all over the steps.

"Your timing couldn't be more off, genius." I told him monotonously. "The adamant orb has just been stolen and Team Galactic may be after the lustrous orb next, and you want to _battle_ with the champion?" I said as Ash sat up, rubbing the back of his face.

"Guess you're right." Carolina suddenly set off laughing again, clapping me on the back.

"I like this one too. She's strong, independent! I admire that in a young lady." She announced, making me blush as Jigglypuff inflated herself.

"Jiggly…" She didn't like being jerked forwards like that. Suddenly there was laughter from behind us and we all turned to see a tall man with dull blue hair spiked in all directions walking towards us, wearing a smart suit tailored to fit with polished shoes to match.

"That's just Carolina's way of saying hello, don't be put off by her bluntness." He advised as he approached us all.

"Man there are a lot of visitors today, and here's one with a big mouth and blue hair." Instantly I frowned and tensed, clenching my fists tightly as I looked at this stranger, and my reaction didn't go unnoticed by Cynthia. She looked down at me as I narrowed my eyes at the man, who introduced himself as Cyrus. Aurora felt it too, wearing a similar expression to me. There was something…off putting about this guy. His aura was deceptive, unclean and repelling. It made me want to move as far away from it as possible. Even his voice grated against every nerve there was in my body.

"Hey Ruby, you okay?" Ash whispered to me as we were led inside for the tour. I took a deep breath and relaxed myself, pushing my concerns aside.

"Yeah! I'm fine." I said with a forced smile, though Jigglypuff looked at me with concern.

"Since ancient times our town has had a deep connection with Dialga as well as Palkia." Cynthia began as we walked through a grand hall with two paintings of the legendary lords of space and time before we carried on through into a library.

"And all throughout my research of the town's history, I've acquired mountains of material as a result." Carolina continued as we stood before double doors which then opened to reveal instantly a strange setting on the wall.

"Wow! What an impressive piece!" Dawn said in awe before looking to one of the figures in the corner. "Hey wait! That's it, we've seen that before!" She announced, pointing to the small figure at the bottom left hand corner as Ash walked over to the opposite side and the adults all gasped.

"You have?!"

"Yeah." Ash said, looking to the carving closely. "And we've seen that one as well."

"Frankly…I'm speechless!" Carolina declared as she stared at the two in shock as Cynthia stepped forwards.

"Tell me where you saw them." She requested gently so they both answered, Dawn going first.

"At Lake Verity. It was kind of hard to make out, but I'm certain that's what it was." She determined as Ash turned to face Cynthia.

"We saw something over at Lake Valor. It was hazy just like Dawn said, but I'm telling you I know I saw something on the lake!" He told us all so I reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Ash, we know you're telling the truth. We never doubted you." I told him as I sensed his agitation begin to rise, trying to make us see that he really had seen what he saw that night, though none of us really knew what it was.

"I'm at a lost for words. There isn't a single example I can think of where people actually got a glimpse of lake guardians." Cynthia said and Ash blinked up at her.

"We saw lake guardians?"

"Yes! Dawn, the lake guardian you saw was most certainly the being of emotion, Mesprit, and Ash, you must have seen the being of willpower Azelf. It's rumoured there is one more lake guardian, the being of knowledge Uxie, who lives in Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City." Cynthia described and I instantly turned to look at the carving at the top. So that was Uxie. Imagine if we all saw it…that would be incredible.

"Hey, that's the same legend we heard about from Zoey and May." Brock said as Cynthia nodded her head.

"It's been said for countless generations that all three of those lake guardians live in Sinnoh region lakes. But they've only existed in legend until now."

"One of the legends states that only the spirits of the guardians appear from their lakes, so that they are able to watch over and protect humankind. There is a distinct possibility that what you saw were those exact same spirits." Carolina told us all and we all looked at one another carefully. This is getting weird. We've already had one run in with a rouge spirit back at summer camp, do we really want another?

"Hold on, what's the meaning of that thing in the middle?" Brock questioned, looking towards the golden figure that rested at the heart of the piece.

"Our research says that it's either the lustrous orb or the adamant orb." Cynthia explained as I leaned closer for a better look. Maybe, but what if it was both? The centre part looks like the lustrous orb, round and smooth, but the light reflecting out of it in sharp edges seem like the sort of light that could only be reflected from the surface of the jagged adamant orb.

"Professor, if they've seen Azelf and Mesprit, perhaps you should show them the lustrous orb. Their reaction may be important to your research." Cyrus suggested and I shot him a look before taking a deep breath. Get over it Ruby, you're just being paranoid.

"An interesting idea." Carolina agreed before striding forwards. "Come with me!" We were marched away to a corridor that looked very restricted and Officer Jenny escorted us herself.

"Due to heightened security, I'm afraid I can't let you stay very long." She informed us and Carolina nodded her head in understanding.

"Yes, yes, of course we know." She assured Jenny as we stopped in front of the two guards and Jenny saluted them.

"Anything unusual to report?" She questioned as they returned her salute.

"No officer, status quo." They reported so Carolina moved forwards and unlocked the door with a card key and her own handprint. The doors slid open as did the metal bars surrounding the orb before finally we got our first glimpse at the real thing. It was like a giant pearl, shining perfectly with a sheen of perfection.

"Wow…amazing how it has a strange glow." Dawn said as we all walked closer.

"Yes, it's beauty is timeless. Now tell us what you feel." Cyrus invited Dawn and Ash as they both got a closer look at the orb. They stared at it for a few moments, trying to feel a change before sighing in defeat.

"Nope, don't feel a thing." Ash said simply.

"Me neither."

"Impossible!" Cyrus suddenly roared, making me whirl around and instantly stand in front of Dawn protectively as he loomed over us all in a rage. "You're not looking at it carefully enough!"

"Jiggly...puff!" Jigglypuff yelled aloud as she leaped off my shoulder and Double Slapped his face at top speed, making me smirk as I folded my arms and watched, choosing not to reprimand her on this occasion. Anyone who dared raise their voice to my friends deserved it. When Jigglypuff jumped back onto my shoulder she inflated her body slightly, glaring angrily at Cyrus who groaned and tried to recover from the wake up call.

"Now, now Cyrus, no need to be upset." Carolina told him with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Remember they are only both looking at it for the first time.

"Right." He said, taking a deep breath then turned back to us all. "I'm sorry, but when I'm standing in front of such a treasure, it's so hard to try and be calm." Yeah buddy but we're all somehow managing it, so try a little harder. "You see the lustrous orb is supposed to be connected to the dawn of time." As we continued to talk, Aurora's head suddenly shot up and she leaped to the ground, calling to me in warning as she stood and held out a paw, listening intently.

"What is it Aurora? What can you sense?" I asked her just a second before the building began to quake, the ground shaking underneath our feet as we all heard massive explosions coming from outside. As we ran back outside I grabbed Aurora, holding her in my arms as a panicked voice called out on loudspeaker.

"There has been an explosion in the ruins! The area is completely swarming with Golbat!"

"Golbat?!" Officer Jenny repeated before starting to organise her teams to cover all areas. Carolina moved back to the key pad to close the doors but when she tried, it flashed red and refused to lock in the lustrous orb.

"Carolina what happened?" Ash asked as we heard the bleeping.

"That's odd, the doors don't seem to want to close." That's when we were radioed to say that the security system had been hacked and that we had no control over it. This is going from bad to worse.

"That means we can't protect the lustrous orb!"

"Then we'll have to move it somewhere else." Cynthia said decisively and both Ash and I nodded our heads together.

"Right, and we'll help you protect it." We said together and Jenny turned around to face us.

"We're lucky that you all are here to help us, just like we were lucky in Veilstone City. So, are you ready to go?" She demanded and we all stood to attention. We transferred the orb onto a trolley that we could push along, however as we ran Croagunk appeared out of his Pokéball, sensing something that caught his undisputed attention.

"Croagunk, what're you doing out of your Pokéball?" Brock asked but as Croagunk ran off, Brock turned back to us. "You guys go on ahead." He said, turning to follow after Croagunk.

"Be careful!" I called out after him before we set off running once more, back down the hall, through the library and into the lobby, but our way was blocked by Team Galactic and that weird blue haired guy. Golbat fluttered around their heads with a Bronzor as well as the leader smirked victoriously at us.

"Team Galactic!" Both Ash and I called out angrily as the ringleader lifted his head then held out his hand.

"How about handing over that lustrous orb now?" He suggested but none of us shifted a muscle.

"I get it. That explosion was nothing but a diversionary tactic to weaken our defences." Cynthia realised but the Galactic commander merely continued to smirk evenly.

"Perhaps you should concern yourself with what's happening now. The truth is, Bronzor has put all the security forces outside to sleep, and right around now Toxicroak should be taking care of everyone on the inside. You are now witnessing what is but a tiny part of Team Galactic's plan!" He announced but Dawn, Ash and I all leaped forwards to shield the orb.

"I don't think so! You're not getting the lustrous orb!" Ash declared as I held out my hand then moved into a battle stance, ready to swing fists as Jigglypuff and Aurora jumped down to stand in front of me.

"You're not getting away this time. You're going behind bars if it's the last thing I do." I vowed as Jigglypuff growled alongside Aurora. The two made a good pair.

"That's right!" Dawn agreed as Piplup and Pikachu took their places alongside us. Behind us I heard Carolina gasp before smiling softly.

"Wow, such brave children and Pokémon."

"Alright then, Bronzor! Hypnosis!" Our opponent called and Bronzor rose up higher into the air, levitating but then Cynthia stepped forwards.

"Now Garchomp, battle dance!" She called and her powerful Pokémon friend appeared. "Brick Break, go!" Garchomp struck Bronzor with a powerful move that cut in before Bronzor could even launch Hypnosis and was returned back before any more damage could be taken.

"Well done. You've certainly earned the title of champion." He drawled sarcastically as Cynthia turned back to Officer Jenny.

"If you don't mind Officer Jenny, we'll take care of this. You need to look after the orb." She said and Jenny nodded her head, completely focused on her task. "Cyrus and grandmother, go with her." Cynthia ordered however before any of them could leave, a new Galactic team appeared, this time with a woman leading them and her hair was bright berry red, making blink in alarm slightly. That could hurt anyone's eyes at close range.

"We're surrounded!"

"I should have known they'd be more of them." Ash said as I stood sideways on, looking at both sides as we stood around the lustrous orb, trying to protect it. Suddenly there was a crash and we all looked up in shock to see Croagunk fall through the glass roof, crying out as he hit the ground hard. "Croagunk!"

"Toxicroak!" The Toxicroak from before smashed its own way through and stabbed at Croagunk with Poison Jab, causing our little friend to cry out in pain before going still, passing out completely.

"No Croagunk!" Brock's voice yelled from the roof as I yelled in anger and tried to gather aura energy in the palm of my hand. My rage seemed to help as a small sphere formed and I shot it towards Toxicroak, however it bat the sphere aside and it burst uselessly. Looks like I still need to work on that.

"Croagunk!" I cried out as Team Galactic laughed at my pitiful display but I ignored them as I dropped to my knees and lifted Croagunk carefully up into my arms, cradling him close to check his pulse and breathing.

"To be completely honest we have no desire for excessive violence. Just give us the lustrous orb and we'll leave." He said but I got to my feet, burning with anger.

"Well unfortunately for you, excessive violence is the only way I go!" I yelled back at him as Cynthia drew out another Pokéball.

"We know you've got something up your sleeve, you're not getting any of Sinnoh's treasures! Gastrodon, come forth from the seas!" She yelled and I blinked as a large slug like Pokémon appeared. It looked squishy and I wasn't sure if I wanted to poke it or hug it to find out how cuddly it was, because it seemed to be quite shiny too. "Gastrodon, Stone Edge now." Cynthia ordered and her Gastrodon instantly began to gather power, rings of light spinning around it before they formed into rocks which hammered against the Golbat and sent them flying backwards.

"How pathetic. Now get out of the way before I throw you out!" Carolina yelled at the female team leader and I couldn't help but shoot her a smile.

"Cynthia, your grandmother is awesome." I announced and she gave me a quick, small smile before looking back to her opponent.

"I really don't like showing off, but I guess I have no choice. The burden of great power." That guy is practically signing up for a knuckle sandwich. He's really starting to bug me.

"Oh please, I'm just fine with showing off." Cynthia replied as Ash picked out another Pokémon.

"We're behind you all the way. Let's go Chimchar!" He called and our little friend appeared beside Pikachu as Dawn called out her next Pokémon.

"Pachirisu we need you too!"

"Aurora, Jigglypuff, you ready to beat some bad guys?" I questioned and they both stepped in line, ready and waiting for my order with a chorused sound, eyes narrowed and focused.

"Purugly! Come out and use Shadow Ball!" The woman Galactic commander called and her fat cat Pokémon appeared and instantly began to charge up its attack.

"Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse." Turning around I pointed to the Purugly.

"Jigglypuff, take the hit. Let's see about that new move Professor Oak was telling me about." I said to her and she leaped up into the air as Ash countered the Dark Pulse with Chimchar's Flamethrower. The Shadow hit Jigglypuff then disintegrated with no effect, making me smirk as the redhead gasped.

"But how?!"

"Use Focus Punch!" I punched the air forwards and Jigglypuff's fist began to glow bright white with power as she launched herself at Purugly and the attack connected, throwing Purugly back with super effect.

"Quick Piplup use Bubblebeam and Pachirisu use Discharge." Dawn called as the Golbat all used Supersonic, trying to confuse us.

"Garchomp Dragon Claw and Gastrodon use Muddy Water." All the attacks combined created a huge dark cloud to hang over us, covering most of the room and hiding our opponents from view.

"I'm breaking through all that. Cover me!" Ash called and Dawn nodded her head as I turned around.

"Right Ash. Piplup, Pachirisu! Attack together!" She called and I pointed towards the Golbat.

"Jigglypuff use Ice Beam and Aurora, use Quick Attack!" I called and together they all charged together. Jigglypuff showered as many Golbat as she could with Ice Beam, knocking them back and freezing their wings as Aurora jumped from target to target, knocking them down with a powerful kick or bunch whilst avoiding the other attacks expertly.

"Quick Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Ash called and Pikachu powered forwards, aiming straight for Toxicroak but when Toxicroak lifted one hand with its poison stinger bared, Chimchar leaped up into the air and ploughed against Pikachu, knocking him out the way and took the hit himself.

"Chimchar!" I screeched, still holding Croagunk in my arms. Chimchar fell straight into Ash's arms as he ran forwards to catch him, but Chimchar fainted from the hit, the toxins starting to work on his small body. "Chimchar, are you okay?" I asked with panicking worry but Chimchar lay motionlessly in Ash's arms.

"Hold on, where are you three going?" Officer Jenny suddenly called out as the smoke began to clear and we looked to see the two guards and their Meowth trying to make a run for it through a window but they froze in place as Jenny spotted them. Suddenly the lustrous orb fell from the head of the guard carrying it and everyone instantly gasped. "It's falling!"

"Not for long!" The Meowth called out and dove for the floor, catching the orb in his paws.

"That was some fancy paw work." A familiar voice said as the woman exhaled with relief.

"Time to breathe…" You have got to be kidding me.

"Did I just hear that Meowth _talk_?" Carolina questioned in astonishment as I glared at the crooks.

"Yeah, it's getting him to shut up that's the real trick." I answered as Dawn groaned.

"Oh no…"

"Afraid so Dawn. Team Rocket!" Ash yelled at them as they gulped nervously as Cynthia arched an eyebrow.

"Team Rocket?"

"They're just an annoying bunch of Pokémon thieves that are always butting into our lives." Dawn explained but Jessie shook a fist in anger.

"What lies! We steal other things too you know!" She yelled across at us as Meowth lifted the lustrous orb up over his head.

"Yeah, like this lustrous orb for example! Whoever's got this baby is the belle of the ball." He said before both Jessie and James whipped off their disguises.

"Seems you want what we've got." Jessie said to us as I growled under my breath, Jigglypuff glaring also. It appears she hasn't lost her dislike for their stupid mottos either, even if they have changed it around a little.

"Team Galactic's not so hot." James said as both Ash and I stepped forwards.

"You're not funny!"

"Give us the orb while you can." Cynthia offered in a dark voice but Team Rocket refused to relent their treasure.

"You fools make one wrong move and there'll be lustrous linguini all over this lobby, understand?" Meowth questioned as they all walked forwards. When no one made a move, Jessie smirked smugly with pride and victory.

"Good. You're only half as dumb as you look." I glared at her.

"Unfortunately I can't say the same for you." I muttered under my breath but I think Jessie heard me as she whirled around and practically shoved her nose into my face.

"What was that twerp?" But James grabbed her arm and dragged her back as the way opened for them to leave by the front exit, the Galactic commander deciding it wasn't worth risking the orb with three idiots handling it.

"Time to go!" He called and they all ran out the doors as I grit my teeth. They're not going to get away so easy. With a snap of his fingers, the Golbat all flew out the windows, smashing their way through and with us distracted looking at the Golbat, Team Galactic slipped away.

"Where'd they go?"

"Probably to go after the lustrous orb." Cyrus said and Ash turned to Cynthia, still holding Chimchar in his arms.

"Cynthia, we should go too."

"Now hold on Ash, what about Chimchar and Croagunk?" Cynthia reasoned as I walked over with both my Pokémon beside me, still holding Croagunk as he breathed lightly and shallowly. Ash looked down at Chimchar with worry, yet was still torn with doing what he believed to be the right thing and retrieving the orb. "I know how you feel, but right now shouldn't you be helping these brave Pokémon of yours who battled so hard for us all?" Ash looked down at Chimchar with a soft sigh.

"Oh Chimchar." Chimchar opened his eyes and I smiled with relief. If he's awake then that means everything will be alright, he's still hanging in there.

"Chimchar…" He croaked weakly, reaching out a hand to me and I let him grip onto my forefinger for comfort, though his grip was weak.

"Of course Cynthia's right. Now you two just leave getting the lustrous orb back to us." Officer Jenny said before running out the door to set to work. Just then Brock came running onto the scene, having finally found his way here through the back.

"Ash! Dawn! Ruby! Is everything alright?" He called out to us as he raced to face me. "How's Croagunk?" I looked down at Croagunk who still hadn't woken up yet before handing him over to Brock who cradled him close with tender care and affection.

"Not so good. We need Nurse Joy right now." I said gently. "I think there may be a chance of a cracked rib and his breathing is quite shallow." Brock nodded his head.

"You really put up a great fight Croagunk, and I'm so proud of you. Ash, what about the orb?"

"Team Rocket stole it." He answered simply.

"We'll handle everything from here." Carolina told us all. "You should all get to a Pokémon Centre, Cynthia, you should go too." Her grandmother directed and Cynthia nodded her head.

"I will. Garchomp, I'd like you to handle everything with the orb please." She said to her Pokémon who nodded then flew out the break in the glass roof. Ash sent out Staravia to help before we all rushed to find Nurse Joy as quickly as possible. Nurse Joy did everything she could to help both Pokémon but ultimately, what they needed was rest.

"Ash, Brock, have them take these after breakfast and after dinner." Nurse Joy directed, handing them both some medicine to take with us. "If you need me just call." Nurse Joy bowed her head then left us alone with our Pokémon.

I was sitting on the bed with Chimchar in my arms where he preferred to be. I guess inside he was still a little bit scared, and when he felt feeble and weak like this, he wanted someone to hold and out of all of us, he felt most comfort when with me.

"Now Croagunk, I know you're still very upset, but you've got to rest." Brock said, referring to Croagunk's loss against Toxicroak. It must have been a great blow for Croagunk and his pride was hurt real bad because of it.

"Thanks for looking out for Pikachu, Chimchar." Ash said as he stood at the bedside as I gently ran my hand over Chimchar's fur to soothe him. "If only I hadn't said to use Volt Tackle in the first place…" Ash struggled to keep the pain out of his voice. "Worse than that, I was so wrapped up in getting that orb back that I wasn't thinking about you at all. I'm sorry." Chimchar sat up a little so I shifted him in my arms as he reached out with one hand and pressed it to Ash's face, telling him it was okay.

"Ash, I've been meaning to ask you if your Chimchar was actually Paul's Chimchar once." Cynthia questioned and Ash nodded his head.

"Yeah, but Chimchar isn't just mine. Ruby and I are both raising him together." Ash said, smiling down at Chimchar. "You see, Chimchar couldn't decide between us who to choose as his trainer, so we decided that we were both going to train and raise him." Cynthia hummed softly in thought before reaching out with both hands and gently took Chimchar's between them.

"You've certainly been through a lot, haven't you my little sweetheart?" She asked with a gentle smile. "I want you to remember that both Ash and Paul have been through quite a lot of experiences with you. I know they walk different paths pursuing their dreams, but it's important to watch over them both, as you _all_ go into the future." One day, I hope I can be as smart and wise as Cynthia is. She just seemed to be so knowledgeable about everything.

With Croagunk and Chimchar resting peacefully, we waited in the lobby for some news. "I don't know why, but I'm scared." Dawn said as I sat with both Jigglypuff and Aurora on my lap. "What is this new world that Team Galactic keep talking about? And what are they trying to do?" She questioned with worry so I curled my arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder as I drew her close for her own comfort.

"I will say this. Whatever it is they're doing, it will certainly mean disaster for all of us." Cynthia said as Ash lifted his head. "Although we don't know what they're new world is, it's obvious they don't like this one. Of course, they're not the kind of criminals who aren't ever going to give up without a fight. We saw now that Team Galactic were able to steal the adamant orb, now they're going after the lustrous orb with a vengeance."

"I'll bet you that they're really targeting Dialga and Palkia through the orbs!" Brock said as Cynthia clenched her jaw slightly.

"That's just what I think as well. Team Galactic have big plans for those orbs and it will affect the world of people and Pokémon." She told us all and Dawn shifted a little closer for me. "A challenge like none before." After a few more minutes of silence, Ash leaped to his feet.

"We can't just sit here when there's stuff to do." He declared but Cynthia tried to stop him from doing anything too rash.

"Now Ash, just calm down." She tried but then Brock was on his feet too.

"Hey, look out the window!" It was Staravia, she was back! We followed her lead, all of us jumping into Cynthia's car as Garchomp also caught up with us. After a while it was noted that we seemed to be heading back to the research centre, or the ruins.

"Garchomp, fly on ahead and make sure Team Rocket stay put." Cynthia ordered and Ash turned to Pikachu as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"Pikachu I want you to go with Garchomp, okay? Be careful!" He called as Pikachu jumped onto Garchomp's back. Piplup leaped out of Dawn's lap and onto Staravia, signalling he wanted to go too as I tossed a Pokéball up into the air.

"Charizard, I need you." I called then jumped out of my seat with Jigglypuff and Aurora holding onto my shoulders as I heard Charizard roar, landing on his back as he flapped his wings and lifted us both off from being so near the ground. "Lead the way Staravia, we're right behind you!" I called and Staravia flew ahead, leaving the others behind.

We flew straight for the ruins where we found Team Rocket, the redhead from Team Galactic, Cyrus and Carolina all there, however a Bronzor and the same Purugly were launching into attacks Body Slam and Hypnosis. "Garchomp go! Don't let them get the orb!" I called and Garchomp instantly dove down, knocking both of them back with Brick Break and the woman gasped.

"Purugly! You can't do that to my Pokémon!" She yelled as we all landed on the ground, putting ourselves between Team Galactic and the three clowns behind me with Carnivine holding the orb.

"You should have told that to Garchomp before he attacked." I answered, standing with a wide stand before holding out my hand towards them. "You losers are not getting that orb. Whatever world you intend to create is not going to happen with me around. I'm not going to let you destroy the world we have." She smirked at me, tapping a foot on the ground as her Pokémon both stood up.

"My, my, quite clever, aren't you? Purugly! Use Iron Tail and Bronzor use Psywave!" She ordered so I stood my ground as the attacks began to move straight for us.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" I called and Charizard instantly blasted them both with his fire attack, sending them both flying backwards. Bronzor was knocked out instantly, sailing through the air then skidded across the ground and the Purugly hit a pillar, making it hiss before it dropped to the ground.

Charizard snorted, a breath of smoke flaring from his nostrils as he stood ready to defend, however when Team Rocket called out behind us, the Pokémon moved aside to see them. "Now hold on everyone! Anyone makes a bad decision and this lustrous orb is going to become lustrous lunch." Jessie trilled as Carnivine opened its mouth to reveal the orb.

"And I seriously doubt that lustrous lasagne is going to do any of you yoyos any good." Meowth smirked as Ash and the others turned up.

"Don't you realise how important the lustrous orb is? Idiots!" Cyrus suddenly yelled, making Charizard growl and shoot him a look as he pointed at Team Rocket. "You! Look behind you! I trust that you fools know that the lustrous and adamant orb brings great power to Palkia and Diagla, but it is when the two orbs are combined together with the three lake guardians that their full power emerges. To put it in simple terms so that even _you_ can understand, the three guardians plus the two orbs will gloriously bring forth nothing less than… _LEGENDS_!" Wow, he's certainly passionate about his subject.

"Cyrus! Calm down!" Carolina snapped at him.

"But don't you see? If we don't make them understand what's happening they'll do something foolish like shatter the orb? I refuse to let that happen, at all costs!" He grit his teeth as he stepped forwards again. "I'm sorry if I seem so up _set_ , but when the stakes are this high, our strongest weapon is the truth! Now listen well, the adamant orb is in fact Dialga, and the lustrous orb is Palkia! The orbs will bring them to this world!" He yelled as swarms of Golbat suddenly flooded the ruins, making me leap back as I looked up at the sky.

"Charizard, Dragon Rage up in the air and spin!" I ordered, holding my arm over my eyes to protect myself from the Golbat. "Jigglypuff, use Ice Beam and Aurora use Quick Attack!"

"Jigglypuff!" She called as Charizard roared and flew up into the air, flames beginning to flare up on his body as he rose upwards twisting in a tight spin as he began to glow with a purple light, drawing in many of the Golbat as he wrapped himself up in his wings, spinning faster and faster to suck them closer as the Pokémon all helped out. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and Piplup used Bubblebeam whilst Garchomp hit with Dragon Claw. Charizard's attack exploded outward and knocked out hundreds of the Gobat in one hit as he spread his wings and roared, skin glistening as the light still shone around him. Now that's a contest move if I ever saw one. Charizard looked invincible.

Suddenly a strange looking Pokémon appeared, jumping from the roof of the ruins and landed on Carnivine's head, making it yelp and the Pokémon caught the lustrous orb on its curled tail securely before turning and using Hyper Beam at Team Rocket, blasting them off into the sky.

"The orb!" I cried out. "Aurora, after it!" I yelled as the Pokémon began to run away and Aurora dropped from the air and began to give chase with me in hot pursuit. The others all followed save Cyrus, who stared at the large plaque. However the moment we were outside, Team Galactic and the lustrous orb were completely gone from sight. "No!" I yelled aloud, clenching my fists before looking at the ground, closing my eyes tightly shut as I took a deep breath. We'd failed.

A hand rested gently on my shoulder and I lifted my head, sensing it was Cynthia standing beside me. "We did all that we could and our Pokémon battled valiantly. We should not regret anything." She told me and I nodded my head. "Your Charizard is strong. I think my Garchomp sees him as a great challenge, take a look." I opened my eyes to see Garchomp and Charizard staring one another down with slightly cautious but very proud expressions. "You displayed great strength and trust in your Pokémon. I hope one day we may battle, so that I may experience that strength for myself." She said before turning to everyone else. "Come, let us return to the Pokémon Centre to have all our friends taken care of."

We did so, where we all contemplated what Team Galactic might be up to and what their plan was, but none of us could be certain. With them, you just didn't know. If they did intent to summon the legendary beasts, then what would they do with them? Try to create a new world? How could they do that without destroying this one and everyone on it first? I just don't get it. Still, we just had to keep training hard. The stronger we are, the better chance we have of stopping them.


	39. Chapter 39

"Did we make it? Has it started already?" Ash questioned as he barrelled through the door of the Pokémon centre, skidding to a halt as he turned to see the TV screen showing the opening of Cynthia's battle against Aaron, one of the elite four. "Phew, we made it." He said with relief as we all followed him inside. Ash glanced around and blinked when he saw a familiar figure standing facing the screen. "Hey, it's Paul." Lifting my head I glanced around then saw him just standing a few feet away from me.

Aurora snorted softly, looking at Paul before reaching up and taking my hand so I held her paw securely as she pulled me to stand behind a group of people. "What's up with you?" I questioned her quietly but she didn't answer, merely jumped up into my arms and hugged me tightly. "Hey! Hey it's okay, what's wrong?"

"Is Aurora okay?" Brock questioned and I shrugged.

"Guess so, she's just acting a little strangely." Nodding his head Brock turned his attention to the battle on the screen and watched as Cynthia totally wiped the floor with Aaron. "Now that is just scary." I announced and the others nodded their heads.

"She's the champion alright and she's very strong." Brock agreed.

"But _that_ strong? It's like she's undefeatable!" Dawn said but then we noticed Paul walked over to us. Aurora growled and jumped out of my arms, standing in front of me and held out her paw, stopping him from getting any closer.

"Aurora calm down, what's wrong with you?" I questioned, kneeling down on the ground and tried to pull her back but she stayed put, grounding herself and kept herself positioned between Paul and us. He glanced down at her for a brief moment before losing interest and turning to Ash.

"How did everything go?" He questioned and we all blinked at him. "I mean with Chimchar's Blaze." He clarified and Ash narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"I know Blaze is a strong ability, but you'll never find me relying on something like that in the middle of a battle." Ash declared boldly and Paul gave a short, quiet huff before walking off.

"Man. What's his problem?" Dawn demanded hotly, glaring after him but the moment Paul had left, Ash relaxed.

"Hey, why don't we go train? You ready Ruby?" He asked and I nodded my head, turning with a Pokéball in hand.

"You betcha Ash." I smirked before racing outside. "Okay, Jigglypuff, show time!" I called happily and called out my good friend, who appeared from her Pokéball with a spin, flip and a pose, calling out happily as Dawn beamed in awe.

"Wow! What an entrance!" She landed on the ground then took a bow, her microphone in hand and I chuckled.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" I questioned and she nodded at me as Aurora walked forwards and stood at my side.

"Jigglypuff!" She told me before turning to face Ash as he called out all his Pokémon but stood with Chimchar, Pikachu and Buizel, ready to train.

"Okay Jigglypuff, meet some friends of mine! Ponyta, Shieldon, Leafeon! Come out and join the fun!" I called as I launched their Pokéballs up into the air with a spin, gracefully stretching upwards as I twirled on my toes before catching each Pokéball as my Pokémon appeared. "Guys, this is Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff is a great friend of mine and we travelled all over Hoenn together and some of Johto too. Jigglypuff, meet the gang! You remember Leafeon as a little Eevee, right?"

"Jigglypuff Puff!" She chirped, bouncing forwards and greeted everyone politely.

"Okay Ash, we're ready!" I called with a wave so he waved back.

"Great Ruby, hit us with everything you've got." That's the only way I know genius, so let's do it!

"Ponyta Flamethrower, Shieldon use Iron Head, Leafeon use Razor Leaf and Jigglypuff, Ice Beam!" I called out and the Pokémon instantly launched their attacks with a battle cry. Aurora stood and watched, carefully noting how each Pokémon moved.

"Pikachu Thunderbolt, Chimchar use Flamethrower and Buizel, you use Water Gun!" Ash ordered quickly and the attacks were launched forwards. Flamethrower took care of Ice Beam and Razor Leaf whilst Water Gun matched Ponyta's Flamethrower, the two moves exploding upon collision. Pikachu jumped up into the air and struck Shieldon with a powerful Thunderbolt that made him cry out, freezing in place as he took the attack.

"Shieldon!" I raced forwards as Pikachu cut off the attack and I saw how Shieldon stood with electricity crackling all over his body, making him flinch as he tried to move. "Shieldon, are you okay?" I asked him but then his eyes shot wide open.

"Shield. Shield…on!" He yelled, stomping a foot on the ground and I leaped back as the electricity he had stored up launched out of his body, arcing up into the air in no controlled direction before it disappeared. "Shieldon?"

"Wow! You just used Thunderbolt!" I laughed as the Pokémon all congratulated Shieldon on figuring out a new move. "That's so awesome!"

"Yeah Shieldon, I didn't know you could learn a move like that. Good thing Pikachu hit you with all that electricity." Ash said and I shot him a look before rolling my eyes as I knelt beside Shieldon.

"We'll practice that move as soon as we've helped Ash with his training." I promised then leaped back to my place. "Okay everyone, again!" We exchanged attacks, working on power and strength as well as dodging attacks too, though Ash wasn't so good at dodging, it seems, as the next wave sent him and his Pokémon flying backwards.

"You alright down there genius?" I questioned as I held out a hand and helped him up after walking over.

"Sure, you call those attacks? They were nothing!" He assured me as Dawn and Brock walked over.

"Using your own attacks to defend is a good strategy, but you've got to hold some moves back or you'll have nothing left." Brock warned him and Ash nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, and we've also got a lot of work to do on our timing." Ash agreed as I stretched with a yawn. Man, all this was hard work. "Okay Ruby, how about we try one on one?"

"Sounds good. How about Chimchar against Ponyta?" I suggested. "And after lunch, we can start on that new technique you've been trying against Jigglypuff." Walking back over to my crew I reached out and rubbed Ponyta's nose, smiling as I leaned against him as he snorted affectionately at me. "Okay, we're good to go! Ponyta, use Flamethrower!"

"Chimchar use Flame Wheel!" Ash countered and we exchanged blows for a couple of turns before I added in Shieldon.

"Okay Shieldon, let's try your new move. Use Thunderbolt!" I called, pointing towards Pikachu but the moment Shieldon had stored up enough energy, the bolt shot out from him completely in the wrong direction, heading straight for me instead. "No not this way!" I yelped, springing to the side as the lightning struck the ground and charred it back. "Ooh…" I blinked, looking at the ground then at Shieldon who blinked then ran over to me with tears in his eyes.

"Shieldon! Shieldon! Shield Shieldon!" He cried, springing over to me then rubbed my legs as I knelt down and scooped him up.

"Hey it's okay, we just need to work a little harder on your control." I soothed as Ash and his Pokémon all walked over. "You didn't hurt me, so it's all good. Please don't be upset." I said as Ash gave Shieldon a smile.

"Since Ruby's helping me train for my gym battle, what do you say we return the favour? Pikachu and I can help you master Thunderbolt, that sound good?"

"Shieldon!" Shieldon beamed, smiling as I held him in my arms and tickled his belly with all the Pokémon cheering happily.

"You're sure starting to take things up to the next level. Ponyta was working really hard to deflect Chimchar's attacks." I noted as Ash grinned.

"They're the ones taking things up a level." He replied, rubbing both Buizel and Chimchar on the head but we all stopped and looked around when we heard Brock walking towards us and saw that Paul was with him. Brock carried Happiny in his arms and Dawn moved around with all her Pokémon to face Paul as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chimchar gulped nervously but Piplup and Turtwig instantly moved to shield him protectively, making me smile but then Aurora jumped in front of them as well and growled threateningly at Paul. "You're doing the exact same thing as me when you train." Paul announced which instantly set Ash off.

"No way Paul, how's this just like you?!" He demanded to know hotly and I gripped his jacket at the back to keep him from getting too close to Paul, just in case things start to turn a little nasty.

"You have other Pokémon attack you, so you boost your Pokémon's moves. How is that any different?" Paul questioned reasonably so I clamped my hand down on Ash's mouth to cut off his yelling and he mumbled into my hand as I restrained him easily.

"For one thing, we battle fairly and not with odds such as four against one, and we don't force our Pokémon to train until they're in critical condition." I answered simply and quietly. "We take good care of them and help develop their strengths, not draw out their weaknesses." Paul's eyes locked on mine and I challengingly looked back with an even expression.

"Yeah! And besides, Ash is training for his rematch at the Hearthome gym." Dawn told Paul as I finally let go of Ash seeing as he'd calmed down.

"So you're going to battle at the Hearthome gym?" Paul questioned and Ash nodded his head excitedly, all previous anger long forgotten.

"Right! Hey, you battled there didn't you Paul?"

"Sure did." He replied as he drew out the badge to prove it. "And obviously, I won." Ash blinked then began to admit what had really happened back in the city.

"I did challenge Fantina and her ghost Pokémon before, but she kept hitting us with Hypnosis and I couldn't do a thing about it. That is until next time." He said with a slightly unsure tone so I reached out and rested my hand on his shoulder, making him look at me as I gave him a confident smile and nod of my head.

"So you think next time's the charm? All you have to do is keep hammering away and all her ghost type Pokémon will fall over."

"I'll win it!" Ash bit back. "I happen to have faith in my Pokémon and they've got faith in me too. This time's different!"

"You're pathetic." Paul decided and this time, Jigglypuff had had enough. She inflated her body with a growl, making herself look bigger than reality as she stormed over to Paul and stood in front of him, making him look down at her.

"Jiggly Jigglypuff Jiggly!" She yelled, pointing at him accusingly. "Jigglypuff Puff!" He arched an unimpressed eyebrow before looking at me.

"Is this the Jigglypuff you were telling me about?" He questioned and I nodded my head, folding my arms across my chest.

"The very same." Paul snorted then looked away, which only insulted Jigglypuff further. No one writes _her_ off and gets away with it. She sprang forwards and yelled, lifting back a hand ready to Double Slap his face but I squeaked and jumped forwards to wrestle with her. "No Jigglypuff! What have I told you? You can't go around Double Slapping people just because you don't like them!"

"Jiggly Jiggly Jiggly Jigglypuff!" She argued alongside me, trying to squirm out of my grip until finally, I had her pacified. For now at least. She was locked in my tight embrace though she growled and glared at Paul as I took a deep breath then sighed.

"Man, I forgot how spirited you are." I said to her with a smile. "You sure are one of a kind, Jigglypuff." She blinked then turned her beautiful round orbs around to look at me.

"Jiggly?"

"Of course that's the truth. Would I lie to you?" I replied then hugged her to me, smiling before I realised that Ash was challenging Paul to a battle. The two boys glowered at one another before Paul finally drew out a Pokéball.

"Alright, but only one Pokémon aside. That should be quite enough." He said and Ash nodded his head, still glaring.

"Okay, fine with me." Just then Turtwig turned to Ash and began to paw at his leg, calling up to him for his attention. "Turtwig? Oh I get it, you want to get in there too." He smiled before nodding his head. "Alright then Turtwig, I choose you!"

I walked with all my Pokémon to stand at the side to watch the battle. Shieldon, Ponyta, Leafeon and Jigglypuff all returned for a rest and Pikachu jumped up onto my shoulder to watch from there with Aurora sitting on the bench beside me.

"Honchkrow, standby for battle." Paul called and his broad chested dark and flying type Pokémon appeared. That's trouble for Turtwig, as Paul will have the advantage, though maybe Turtwig's speed will make up for it. "Alright, Honchkrow use Sky Attack!"

"Quick Turtwig, Energy Ball!" Ash countered and Turtwig powered his move straight up at Honchkrow as it powered up its first attack.

"Like that did anything. Go Honchkrow!" Paul ordered and it dove straight down for Turtwig, who leaped up and spun to avoid the attack. "Use Night Slash!"

"Dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Ash directed and Turtwig literally disappeared as he dodged the attack before skidding to a halt behind Honchkrow, facing it but then Honchkrow pulled off an amazing turn about and struck Turtwig directly.

"Use Aerial Ace."

"Now Turtwig, use Bite let's go!" Ash yelled and Turtwig bravely leaped up to clamp down on Honchkrow but the flying attack landed first and Turtwig was ploughed into the ground, draining a lot of his energy and when the second Aerial Ace landed, it was before Turtwig had even had a chance to stand up.

"Can you still keep battling?" Ash asked as he called out to Turtwig as he stood up, but then the unexpected happened. Turtwig started to glow. Everyone gasped and stood up, watching as Turtwig shone a bright white then began to change shape, growing larger and larger until finally, we were facing a strong looking Grotle. No way! I can't believe it! "Yeah! Alright Grotle, I think it's about time to mix it up!" Ash said determinedly as Paul ordered his Pokémon forwards.

"Use Aerial Ace!"

"Perfect, let's give them a taste of your new power by dodging then using Energy Ball." But as Grotle tried to move out the way, he remained grounded on the spot. Huh? Why wasn't he dodging? The attack landed and Grotle was pushed backwards.

"Sky Attack, let's go!"

"Now's your chance Grotle, so use Bite!" Ash directed but this time Grotle collapsed on his side, tripping over his own feet and when he got up, did nothing to stop the Sky Attack from hitting its mark. I was back on my feet, watching the battle closely. I don't think Grotle _can_ dodge, even if he wanted to. Maybe he's just too heavy, like Torterra. "Hey come on Grotle! You're super fast, you should be able to dodge that."

"A pathetic trainer and his equally pathetic Pokémon." Paul said and I looked to my side as Aurora growled, gritting her teeth sharply as she glowered over at Paul and I could feel the anger at him insulting one of her best friends. "So where's that faith now? If you really think you can win with faith alone, then you're no better than any lowlife loser trainer out there, because you have no idea how Grotle's changed!" Paul practically yelled at Ash. I've never seen him like that before, it's like he's really _angry_ for some reason. "Honchkrow, Dark Pulse!"

"Grotle no!" Ash yelled as Grotle took the attack head on before being flung backwards. Aurora cried out in alarm and rushed onto the battlefield with me chasing after her.

"Aurora wait!" But she sprang over to Grotle's side as Honchkrow pulled back, landing on the ground before his trainer as Aurora gently reached out and hugged Grotle's face as he groaned softly, in great pain and was now exhausted. "Ash…" I began but he shook his head, not wanting to hear it.

"It doesn't matter. We need to get Grotle inside to Nurse Joy." But then I heard Aurora growl. She spun around and leaped forwards, taking a battle stance as she faced Honchkrow and instantly I knew this was big trouble.

"Aurora no. Don't do it." I ordered, getting to my feet and walking forwards. "You're not ready for a battle, you're too young." I tried but she was too angry to listen to me. Aurora leaped forwards with Quick Attack, running straight for Honchkrow who lifted himself up into the air. "No! Aurora stop it!" She disobeyed me, which shocked me to the core but I snapped out of it as Honchkrow dove down for Aerial Ace. "Dodge it!" I called up but Aurora didn't move fast enough.

A wing slammed into her and she was knocked back to the ground but she skidded on her feet then was running at Honchkrow again who charged up a Sky Attack. "Aurora please don't be mad, just come with Grotle and everything will be alright." I said, grabbing onto her arm but she tore it free and ran at Honchkrow again. "Aurora!" I grabbed her Pokéball and tried to return her. "Return _now_!" But she dodged the summons and leaped up into the air with a powerful spring as Paul watched curiously.

Honchkrow dove straight down, turning in a spin as Aurora tried to thrust out a hand to use Aura Sphere having seen me practice it before, however when nothing happened, her eyes widened in shock as finally the attack landed.

I cried out Aurora's name and ran forwards to catch her, saving her some major damage as she whimpered softly, shivering in my arms. "Oh Aurora…I'm sorry." I whispered as I hugged her and Paul returned his Honchkrow. This was completely new and something I would never have expected from Aurora. This dark side was…totally out of the ordinary. It was like she'd snapped inside and now, she wanted to teach Paul a lesson.

She leaped out of my arms and stood back, glaring at me before looking directly at Paul. I watched as she held her paws at her side, closing her eyes before finally, a sphere of white energy began to form in her paws. Focus Blast. Her eyes turned directly to Paul who took a step back in concern, unsure of what to do but then before I could do anything else, Aurora launched her powerful yet out of control attack.

It flew straight for Paul but I leaped in the way and barred my arm in front of me, creating a barrier between us and the attack but even as it exploded against my shield, I felt the rush of energy shoot up my arm and through my shoulder as I held it back. Paul hissed slightly, feeling the rush of air wash over us fiercely before I lowered the defence and ran to where Aurora had collapsed on the ground. "Aurora! Aurora, are you okay?" She wasn't responding and Brock ran over to me.

"Come on, we'd better get her away from here. You need to figure out what's wrong and fast before she goes wild like that again." Nodding my head I didn't waste any time in running inside to get medical attention.

Grotle was quickly patched up and was now resting, however Aurora had taken a small fever from the exertion of the Focus Blast she'd managed to make today. Shieldon and Leafeon stood with me at her bedside as I bit my lips and glanced at the others. "You sure about this?" I asked Brock who nodded his head.

"You've done it before so you should be able to do it again. You need to get in touch with how Aurora is feeling so that you can deal with the root of the problem. I think Paul has something to do with it." Nodding my head I looked to Leafeon and Shieldon who both nuzzled me gently for courage before I closed my eyes and rested one hand on Aurora's head and the other over her paws which placed on her chest before connecting my aura to hers.

It was easy since we were so in tune, but finding the answer to why she'd snapped like that earlier today wasn't so much a walk in the park. There were so many mixed emotions. Fear, anger, hate, so much negativity, I didn't understand it, so I quietly asked Aurora to explain to me, so she did.

She showed me memories of Paul and how rude he had been, to both people and Pokémon, which made Aurora angry and hateful towards him. She wanted him to "pay for his crimes", that's what she'd told me. As I delved in deeper, I began to understand her frustration. She wanted to become stronger, train harder but didn't know how to develop her strengths on her own. She wanted to learn Aura Sphere and really improve her power.

In a light panic, I almost drew away from her but I calmed myself down and tried to tell her that no one can be all powerful at the very beginning, or even at the very end. That we have to work for our strength and trust in one another to help us become the best we can be.

Aurora felt a little ashamed so I assured her that she was safe and that I'd take care of her before drawing back and letting her sleep. "So? What's the problem?" Ash asked as I stood up.

"Well, Aurora didn't like how Grotle was treated for starters, and she started to attack like that because she wanted to prove herself." I explained to them all as we looked down at Aurora. "What worries me is how angry she is. I don't get it. I've always thought she was the sweetest Pokémon there could be."

"Pokémon change as they grow." Brock told me gently. "I've heard that Riolu and Lucario are some of the toughest Pokémon to train as they are very proud. It takes intense training and a very strong bond for both Pokémon and trainer to understand one another." Nodding my head I took a deep breath.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk." I said to everyone. "Aurora will be safe here resting for now." Everyone let me go and I walked away with Shieldon and Leafeon at my side, the three of us walking out into the setting light of the outdoors but for once, it didn't calm me down. "I don't get it. Why is Aurora so obsessed with getting stronger?" I worried aloud and both Pokémon looked up at me. "You should have felt it guys, it was like…an obsession. All she was thinking about was how to win back her pride."

"Shieldon?"

"Leaf Leafeon." Leafeon said then rubbed his head against me, gently pushing me towards the trees to go to the forest where we could be alone and not be disturbed by anyone else.

"It was like I didn't even recognise her." I said as I looked up from the ground to the sky. One of my Pokéballs burst open and Jigglypuff appeared, looking up at me with sympathy as I looked up at the sky through the trees. "I hope I can fix this before it gets out of control." Murmuring to myself as all my Pokémon crowded close, hugging me and giving me comfort the best they could.

"Well if anyone can, no doubt it would be _you_." Paul sneered slightly sarcastically and I groaned.

"Just perfect." I muttered before turning my head around to look at him. "What do you want, Paul?" I demanded to know as he stepped out from the shadows into the fast dimming light of dusk.

"Heard you talking to yourself." He answered simply, as if that was supposed to give me a clue. "Listen, I just wanted to say thanks for earlier." I arched an eyebrow at him as he shoved his hand deeper into his pockets. "You risked a lot jumping in the way of that Focus Blast." His tone was slightly bitter yet also his usual condescending tone, as if he were forcing himself to thank me.

"Yeah well. You can be a jerk but I'd rather not see you painted all over the ground. I was just reacting on instinct." I answered back simply, turning away again. "What Aurora did was wrong and she knew it, so I wasn't going to let her actions suffer serious consequences. As her trainer, I'm responsible for whatever happened." There was a few moments of silence where neither of us knew what else to say. The light was starting to fade and I knew I shouldn't be out here long, but I wasn't quite ready to go back inside. I preferred the outdoors, it was less restricting and more peaceful than inside.

"Will you walk with me?" Paul asked and I frowned slightly, turning around to face him.

"Huh?"

"Walk. Will you walk with me?" He repeated. "Or are you starting to turn into that dumb friend of yours?" Which friend was he referring to? Most likely Ash, I mean he does do some pretty unintelligent things sometimes. Paul started to walk away, giving me the option of whether or not to follow. I glanced back behind me then down to my Pokémon.

Jigglypuff folded her arms and shook her head with a grumpy expression, but Shieldon and Leafeon were already moving off after Paul. "Sorry Jigglypuff, looks like you're outvoted this time." I said and began to follow my Pokémon and Jigglypuff reluctantly trailed after me.

Paul halted a step to see me following but then carried on walking as I reached his side. "Your Shieldon learned Thunderbolt." He stated and I nodded my head.

"Yeah. Didn't think it was possible, being part rock type." I admitted, giving a soft smile down at Shieldon who beamed back up at me.

"It can't control its power though. You need to teach it to focus and tense its whole body to direct it properly." I glanced at Paul then nodded my head.

"Okay. I'll do that." This is beyond awkward. Paul was wearing a blank expression and after that, we didn't say another word. We walked through the forest as sunlight was replaced by moonlight and I took off my hat to feel the gentle warm wind on my face, smiling at Jigglypuff as she jumped up and stored it away in my bag for me.

"Tell me, why do you care so much about your Pokémon?" Paul suddenly asked me and I blinked at him as he stopped in his tracks.

"What sort of a question is that?" I demanded as I continued to walk, though as my foot stretched out over to open air, my Pokémon called out in warning and I yelped loudly as I looked down to the small ledge I was about to tumble over into a small lake, but then Paul's hand gripped my arm and pulled me back to face him.

"Just answer it." He ordered and I shot him a dark look before sighing.

"Because I love them." I answered simply then giggled as my three companions jumped up onto me, hugging me tightly with happy smiles as Leafeon licked my cheek and the other too nuzzled their faces against me.

"But why?" He pressed. "Why get so emotionally attached to them? Aren't you afraid of spoiling them?" Looking at each Pokémon in turn I then lifted my eyes to meet Paul's.

"Being friends with Pokémon doesn't mean they get spoiled. Sure, I sometimes give them one treat too many and I spend way too long grooming and washing them, but it's because they deserve it." I began to explain. "Because they work so hard for me. They train their best and I praise them for such great efforts. I don't do spoiled Pokémon as much as I don't do spoiled people." I told him sincerely with a stony expression. "My Pokémon work hard and we achieve great things together, and in return I try to give them the greatest life I can offer. They're like my family." At that Paul blinked then looked away into the lake, which glittered prettily under the light of the full moon. He was silent for a moment, thinking over what I had just said. "Paul, do you care about your Pokémon at all?"

"Of course I do. I want them to be strong." He snapped back and I blinked before turning my head and looking out across the water too. Suddenly a pair of Drifloon appeared, floating gracefully across the lake, calling out to one another and they locked onto one another by their stringy arms, gazing into one another's eyes as the moonlight glowed behind them as they danced.

I felt their attraction and love for one another so strong that it melted my heart and took away all concerns or worries I had as they drifted in a circle together, singing their hypnotic song as they waltzed in the moonlight.

When I sensed Paul's sudden movement as he grabbed a Pokéball to try and capture one of them, I instantly grabbed his hand, resting mine over his and the Pokéball to make him freeze in place and look at me. "Please don't." I whispered, never taking my eyes of the two Drifloon as the male spun his lady around elegantly before locking together again.

Paul regarded me carefully, contemplating my request before inclining his head and lowering the Pokéball. My hand dropped from his and I watched as the two Pokémon continued to dance as more singing rose up from the trees in a quiet lullaby and even Leafeon and Jigglypuff joined in, creating a beautiful harmony of the forest.

Reaching for my camera I took some pictures to keep for myself, not wanting to pass up an opportunity to photograph such a beautiful moment as watching two Pokémon so in love with one another. But then Paul had to ruin it all by speaking.

"It's getting late. We should head back." He announced and I blinked as if waking from a trance then looked his way. He was watching me with a curious expression, slightly softened by the distraction of his thinking so that he wasn't scowling.

"Right." I nodded my head then turned around as I slipped my camera away, Shieldon and Leafeon following as Jigglypuff settled on my shoulder and called it a night, snoozing softly as I carried her back. Again our walk was in silence but as we walked, my mind kept on thinking about what Paul had said. He wanted to make his Pokémon strong, but was that it? Didn't he care at all if they got hurt? Would he even care if someone took his Pokémon away?

"Why did you not let me catch that Drifloon?" He asked me in a monotonous voice and I curled my arms around my waist as I watched my feet.

"Couldn't you see how much in love they were? It would break the other's heart if they were separated." I answered then blushed slightly. "And I'm not saying that just because I'm a girl. I really felt their love for one another. It was just like how my dad feels about my mom and vice versa." Paul tensed slightly and I berated myself silently. Bad subject, a little insensitive of you Rubes, nice going.

"Right." He answered shortly then took a deep, slow breath so I left him alone, not saying another word. I just kept my eyes on the ground and kept on walking. I jumped violently when his hand touched my arm and quite gently pulled me towards him, startling Jigglypuff out of her sleep so that she growled at me irritably before closing her eyes and continuing to snore quietly as my head shot up. "You were about to walk into a tree." Paul explained simply and I looked to see that he'd only pulled me to keep myself from knocking my head off. "It might help to look where you're going."

"Right, sure thing." I nodded my head then blushed a little. I'm such a ridiculous character. Biting my lip I slowly lifted my eyes back to meet Paul's. "About what you said, back at the lake." I began slowly and he arched an eyebrow at me. "You told me you wanted to make your Pokémon strong, and that's you're way of caring about them, but is that it? Do you feel anything at all?" Okay, I didn't mean for it to come out like that but my mouth was talking before my brain was even in gear. He looked at me stonily, his jaw clenching before he looked away.

"I think you should go." He told me forcefully, highlighting his want for me to scram. "I'm done with all your talk about feelings and being friends with Pokémon. Go back to your loser friends already." That does it. No one talks about my friends like that!

"Listen up, _punk_." I growled, shoving out my hands and gripped his jacket as my fingers curled into fists, slamming him back against a tree and pinned him down. "I don't care about whatever issue or problem it is that you obviously have, but if you _dare_ talk about my friends that way ever again, then I'll be sure to bury you on a beach with only your head to show and I'll watch as the tide slowly comes in." My eyes flared up against his as he blinked, surprised by this sudden change in me. "You can call me loser or stupid or anything you like, but one word against my family and you're _toast_. Am I making myself clear?" He glared at me.

"Crystal." He growled under his breath so I let him go with a shove, pushing myself back from him and I flicked out my hair as Shieldon stood protectively at my side and Leafeon spread his feet wide in attack stance, ready for my order as Jigglypuff continued to snore in my ear.

"You'd better leave those Drifloon alone, or you'll be sorry." I warned him before turning and striding back towards the Pokémon Centre. I didn't want to disturb the gang upstairs so I returned to Aurora and stayed at her side all night, sleeping in the chair with my Pokémon around me for warmth until I was awoken in the early hours of the morning by the dawn, sunlight streaming through the windows and I groaned before blinking myself awake.

Turning my head I looked at Aurora who was already awake. She smiled up at me and it was if nothing had ever happened and she was her usual sweet self again. Returning her smile, albeit a little sleepily, I reached out with one hand and she gripped onto my forefinger with one paw, hugging it to her as I gently rubbed her fur as she yawned and went back to sleep, Shieldon nestled next to her. Whatever had snapped in her yesterday must have mended overnight.

How long until it snapped again?


	40. Chapter 40

I was sad to see Jigglypuff go back to Professor Oak, but since Ash had pretty much nailed his new technique, there was no need for her to stay and the professor needed her to help Bulbasaur keep an eye on the wild Pokémon as Jigglypuff's forthright nature helped in separating conflicts.

We were now back in Hearthome City and Ash was already psyched up for his next gym battle. "Oh yeah I'm ready! That next gym badge is as good as ours Pikachu!" He declared before running on ahead, too excited to slow the pace.

"Pika!"

"Hey wait Ash, slow down!" Dawn yelled after him as I walked with Aurora at my side.

"There's no stopping him Dawn once he gets his mind set." I informed her as I too picked up the pace. "I've learned to just roll with it." Keeping an eye on Ash as he ran, I couldn't help but splutter with laughter as he was smacked in the face by the door opening and a kid rebounded off of him so that they both fell to the floor.

As we finally caught up, the guy had already run off but left behind his badge case which Ash was holding as I picked up his hat and dusted it off for him. "What's the big rush Ash?" Dawn gasped for air as she gripped my shoulder for support.

"You might be prepared for your battle but you don't have to wear all us out first." Brock said with a smile as I stuffed Ash's hat back on his head as he grinned and I helped him back to his feet.

"Allo! It's Ash!" Fantina declared as she appeared with her Mismagius.

"Hi Fantina." We all greeted and she spun around, speaking with her heavy accent.

"I have awaited your return! But all things come to those who wait, no?" She questioned and we all nodded our heads before she noticed the badge case Ash was holding. "But what is this? This belongs to my previous challenger."

"Challenger?" Ash echoed and Fantina gave a proud smile.

"Qui. Twinleaf Town is where he comes from, and I will say this. He's a challenger who is full of life! But make no mistake, he is no match for me." She trilled with a wink as Ash clenched his fists competitively as he stepped forwards towards Fantina.

"I think I am! How about a battle right now?" He questioned but then Fantina's face fell.

" _Quelle dommage_ , today is no good for me." She revealed and Ash dropped to the floor with a groan, gripping his head in despair so I grabbed his arm and the back of his jacket, forcing him to his feet to cart him off.

"No problem Fantina, we'll see you tomorrow!" I called and she waved as I dragged Ash away and the others all followed as Fantina blew us a kiss.

" _Au revoir!_ Until tomorrow, _mes amis_!" She called before walking away with her Mismagius. We went to the park for a walk but Ash's mood had plummeted.

"Man, after all this time back to square one." He said with a sigh, hanging his head.

"Not much you can do. Fantina has been fighting battles all day long." Dawn reasoned softly with Ash.

"Even gym leader's Pokémon need to rest and relax too. We could do the same thing you know, at the Pokémon Centre." Brock suggested and I gently punched Ash's shoulder.

"I know what'll cheer you up, I'll bake some berry crumble and apple pie so you can store up on energy for your battle tomorrow, how does that sound?" I asked and both Pikachu and Ash instantly lifted their heads excitedly.

"Pikachu Pi Pika!" Pikachu called as Ash punched the air.

"Yeah! Apple pie here we come!" He yelled as he ran forwards, only to plough into the same kid as before who had been running at break neck speed without even looking where he'd coming. "AGH!" Ash yelped before groaning on the ground, a nice lump rising on his head where the two had connected.

"Well, I've always said you've got a hard head." I said as I stood over him before helping him up.

"Another dope not looking where he's going! Huh? Not you again." The blond haired kid said as we all just stared at him as he looked down then cried out. "My badge case! I see, you're a klutz _and_ a thief!" He accused as he got to his feet and flicked his green scarf out his way.

"Thief?" Ash questioned dumbly as Brock hastened to try and explain.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong." But all of sudden, the kid yelled again.

"Agh! I know you, you were in the tag battle, right? You were teamed up with Paul. I watched it on the tube. Oh man, you couldn't even hold a candle to Paul. I was laughing out loud!" He smirked and Ash instantly glared.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Now I remember!" Dawn declared and we all looked at her as she smiled. "You're Barry aren't you? You must be. I'm from Twinleaf Town too, I know! You're that guy who did that duet with the Exploud at the town festival, right?" Barry wore a blank face as he searched his mind for a name.

"That's me, but I really don't have a clue who you are. Wait…I remember now…you've got to be that hopelessly geeky trainer who lost to Paul!" He sure likes to talk a lot about Paul. "And _you_ …" Barry suddenly turned to me, pushing both Dawn and Ash side so that he stood directly in front of me.

"Me?" I questioned, blinking as he tilted my hat back slightly to reveal more of my face as he gazed at me with a dreamy look.

"You're even prettier than when you're battling on screen with your Charizard. I could practically feel the heat from your passion for battling!" Suddenly he was down on one knee and had gripped my hand in his, flinging his other straight out as I stared in alarm and Aurora growled in warning but Barry didn't seem to hear her. "The way you valiantly fought off Paul two against one, you were a sight to behold! You and I should get lunch together, then we can talk all about you and I being the strongest couple this world has ever seen-AGH!" Barry quickly dropped my hand and slid to the ground with a groan as Croagunk stood behind him, fingers glowing purple from his Poison Jab.

"Not a moment too soon Croagunk. Thanks." I sighed with relief as I took a step back. Now I know how all those girls feel when Brock suddenly declares his love. What is wrong with this guy? Springing back to his feet Barry winked at me.

"We'll talk later sweetheart." Oh please, I think I need to puke. Brock cleared his throat and moved the conversation on. Wise move.

"For your information I was in the tag battle too." He informed Barry who blinked in surprise.

"Wow, you? I don't remember you at all. What's your name?" Brock grit his teeth slightly, narrowing his eyes.

"It's Brock." He stated bluntly.

"Well it's not ringing a bell…I know! You're the one who couldn't keep up with Paul!" Suddenly Ash seemed to lose it with this guy.

"Ash is _my_ name!" He declared and Barry tapped his head thoughtfully.

"Ash…that's right. Let's have a battle right now!" He said then gave me a little smirk. "Then I'll battle you later sweet cakes." I shuddered. That's just gross, no one's ever called me _that_ before, and I hope they never do! Beside me Aurora growled so I clucked my tongue quietly.

"Easy girl. Let's not commit any crimes today." I said to her and she glanced up at me with a thoughtful expression. "And yes, maiming is still a crime." Too bad. This kid seriously needs someone to knock some sense into him.

"Come on! Let's see your Pokémon." Barry challenged before whipping out his Pokétch. "You've got ten seconds! Nine, eight, seven, six…" Suddenly Dawn gasped then sprang over to Barry.

"Cool! It's the brand new Pokétch! I've just got to have one of those!"

"Nice isn't it?" Barry said with pride. "I got it over at Jubilife City just last week." He informed her before yelping and shaking his head. "Hey! Now I've lost track of how much time's gone by!" With that he leaped backwards and pointed at her. "Look you trainer geek, this is your fault!"

"The only trainer geek is you! My name is Dawn, D-A-W-N!" She yelled at Barry who rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Yeah whatever, Dawn it is." He drawled before shaking his head again. "Stop stalling! Call out your Pokémon!" At this point I was more than happy to call out Charizard so that this Barry guy could get a taste of the fire and passion he had been talking about earlier.

"What a pain in the neck, Chimchar let's go!" Ash called and our little friend appeared, ready to battle.

"Hey, that looks like Paul's Chimchar, you guys trade or something?" Barry asked but Ash shook his head with a clenched jaw.

"Afraid not, Paul abandoned Chimchar so I took over." I would love to say that Ash wiped the floor with Barry, however our slightly out of his mind acquaintance discovered that he had in fact left his Pokémon at something called a storage facility. So, when he ran off, Ash naturally chased after him.

"Wait for us!" Dawn yelled and we ran after them both. Barry led us into town and stopped at a stall where three stall tenders and their Wobbuffet stood with warm smiles on their faces.

"Uh excuse me? If you don't mind I'd like to get my Pokémon back." Barry said politely, holding out his hand for his Pokémon. The lady started to yell but her companions smartly clamped their hands down over her mouth and shut her up.

"It's obvious our busy schedule is wrecking havoc with her poor rattled brain."

"Look, I'm in a hurry, so you've got ten seconds!" Barry informed them before starting to count and they quickly dashed into the back of their stall to get his Pokéballs.

"You know, there's something strange about this place." Brock noted but before we could make an examination, we heard Fantina call out to us.

"Allo! It is Ash and the challenger from before." She said and we all turned to see her walking up the street with her Mismagius.

"Oh hey Fantina." Ash greeted as Dawn smiled.

"Doing some shopping?" She questioned and Fantina beamed at us all.

" _Mai qui mes amis_! I'm on my way to prepare a great feast, for all my magnifique hardworking Pokémon!" But then she looked at the stall we were standing in front of and blinked in surprise. "But what kind of stall is this?"

"It's a Pokémon storage service." Barry explained to her and she blinked.

"That is strange, I have never even heard of such a thing before." Turning my head with a glare I pointed to the stall.

"Aurora, use Force Palm, let's go!" I called and instantly Aurora sprung forwards then thrust out her palm, shattered the board that had served as a convincing shop window and even the walls before us fell down, making us all gasp in shock. Suddenly Team Rocket's balloon rose up into the air and their laughter filled our ears.

"Alright, who are you really?!" Barry demanded to know.

"Yet another twerp who doesn't know what's real."

"You would think by now this would be no big deal." James answered Jessie as they started their motto.

"On the wind!"

"Past the stars!"

"Look at 'em squeal!" Meowth chimed in as he pointed up to the sky.

"Bringing chaos at a break neck pace."

"Dashing hope and putting fear in its place."

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet!"

"When everything's worse our work is complete!" James replied as Jessie twirled around in the basket, the three of them posing dramatically as I just stood with an arched eyebrow. Those clowns need to retire, before their act can get any older.

"Jessie."

"James!"

"Meowth now that's a name!" They all called out one after the other before Jessie took her next line.

"Putting the do gooder's in their…"

"Stop, enough already." Barry cut in and I blinked at him before chuckling. Okay, so maybe he's not so bad. "I've got it, Jessie, James and Meowth wow." He said with a sarcastic tone, making me smirk further.

"Skip manners class did we?!" Jessie yelled back down at him as Aurora sprang back, taking a battle stance as I stepped forwards.

"Allow us to educate _you_." I replied, mirroring Aurora's stance with my arms lifted in a defensive hold. "It's very rude to steal other people's Pokémon. Now give them back!"

"No can do!" Jessie trilled down at me.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, we'll be leaving!" Meowth called to us all and the balloon began to take off but Aurora and I weren't going to let that happen.

"Go Aurora, catch up with them!" I ordered and she sprang forwards, running towards the wall of the building either side of us and sprang up, running on its surface. "Quick Attack!" She gained speed and leaped from side to side, catching up with the balloon as it rose higher, causing Team Rocket to panic.

"Wow! I'm really getting to see her battle spirit in person!" Barry suddenly said, practically squealing and I frowned back at him slightly before paying attention to Aurora. "Go Aurora, use Focus Blast!" Aurora leaped up high into the air, growling under her breath as she concentrated all her energy on the move I had been practicing with her. The light gathered in front of her before she flung it forwards directly at the balloon and it exploded, Team Rocket crying out in alarm as Aurora flipped back over her head then landed on the ground easily, not even breaking a sweat.

A bag came flying out of the balloon and it landed on the ground in front of Barry who instantly dove inside. "Oh no, my Pokéballs! Where are you?! I've gotta find you my dear Pokémon!" I heard his muffled voice come from within the sack before he laughed. "Awesome!" Pulling himself out he lifted one of his Pokéballs up into the air. "I found them!"

"Hey tough twerp, don't you know its bad manners to break something that doesn't belong to you?!" James yelled as he waved his fist at me, making me turn and arch an eyebrow at him as Meowth yelled also.

"Yeah, you're going to pay big time for this, starting with your Pokémon!"

"No one makes a fool of us, we'll make you pay for every penny you've cost us! Seviper go get that twerpette and her pest Pokémon with Poison Tail!"

"You too Carnivine! Use Bullet Seed!" James ordered as Aurora narrowed her eyes and waited for my command, but to my surprise, Barry skidded out in front of us with his arms spread wide.

"I'll protect you! Empoleon, show them what for!" He called, tossing forwards a Pokéball as the two Pokémon charged at him. His powerful looking Empoleon as it flashed out its steel tipped wings. "Now Empoleon, Hydro Cannon!" He ordered and his Empoleon blasted both Seviper and Carnivine with a watery ball, showing off its intense power which even had me impressed. He'd certainly raised it well. "How's that for strength?" Barry questioned smoothly at me and I gave a nervous little laugh.

"You certainly know how to put on a show." I agreed before shaking my head. "Now, Aurora! Use Focus Blast!"

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" We all called out one by one and our Pokémon all leaped up into the air as a trio.

"Empoleon, you use Hyper Beam!" Barry snapped his fingers and Empoleon joined the attack, our quadruple combination hammering down on Team Rocket who flew up into the air, screaming out as they went.

"We're blasting off AGAIN!"

"And not a moment too soon. You think with all the times we've got rid of them they'd stop coming back for more." Dawn said as Aurora jumped up into my arms and embraced me, making me smile and hold onto her tightly.

"You were great Aurora. I knew you were strong enough to handle that Focus Blast." I said to her as she nuzzled me adoringly.

"You can really see the training has paid off." Brock agreed as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Aurora is starting to get really strong." We both nodded our heads in agreement but then I squeaked and went stiff as a board as Barry smoothly slipped his arm around me.

"So doll face, what do you think of my Empoleon?" He asked me and I shuddered slightly.

"Uh…" But Aurora growled and thrust out her paw, using Force Palm on Barry to knock him flying backwards a few feet. For once I was glad she was still learning her manners. "Very impressive." I finally replied with a smile.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, though Ash did have a battle against Barry and won which I was quite pleased about as it certainly knocked Barry down a few pegs. Our new sort of friend decided to stay and watch Ash's battle and was shocked by his new developing style, with his Pokémon spinning in some way whilst using an attack to develop what Fantina christened as the Counter Shield.

Barry was slightly appalled at how well Ash battled when he lost every single one of his Pokémon against Fantina without even getting past her first, whereas Ash knocked out two of her Pokémon with clever strategy and great teamwork, however when Drifblim appeared, it knocked out Pikachu and Buizel, leaving everything down to Chimchar, who really pulled through for Ash at the last second.

It was an amazing battle, one of the most interesting I had ever seen and drawing from the moves and combinations both Ash and Fantina pulled, I knew I had a lot of work to do to find my own battling style. As a celebration for Ash's most recent win, I made his favourite desserts and invited Barry to join us, though I was a little nervous every time he would sidle up close and put his arm around me, calling me ridiculous pet names and tried to sweet talk me, but hey, that's what Croagunk and Aurora are for! They made sure he kept his hands and his words to himself.

He and Ash practically inhaled the food, making me role my eyes but smile all the same as I cut off a piece and gave it to Aurora and some also for Croagunk who liked the sour taste of cooking apples, so I had stewed a couple for him.

Barry got talking about Iron Island and his decision to go back there to train, though when he mentioned winning a badge at a gym on a nearby island, we all decided to go there for Ash's next battle. But for now, I think it's time we all went to bed.


	41. Chapter 41

"Okay everyone, get ready!" I called out as I took my place, facing my Pokémon as they too leaped over to where they had space to move. Charizard gave a gruff roar before flapping his wings, gaining some lift before finally throwing the large ball out across the meadow. "Go!" I yelled and all the Pokémon charged forwards with laughter.

Ponyta reached the ball first and he bounced it on his nose before kicking it over to Leafeon, who caught it on his long, flat tail before whipping it around to Shieldon who then headbutt it away. "That's it! Great teamwork!" I praised as I jumped up into the air and swung around my foot, kicking the ball back to Charizard who kicked it up into the air on his foot then launched it away from him.

Aurora called out, signalling she was going for it and she used Quick Attack to get ahead of the ball, however when she jumped up and caught it her small body was thrown backwards, making me call out her name as she hit the ground hard but before I could race over to her, she was back on her feet and lifting the ball up victoriously. "Way to go Aurora, now pass it to someone!" I laughed. We all played our game for most of the morning, stopping for lunch then began to train.

I focused on Shieldon's Thunderbolt, which could be a real help if someone decided to try and gain the upper hand by battling against us with a water type, so I wanted to make sure we got this move down perfectly. "Okay Shieldon. You've got to charge up your attack first, so tense up your body and concentrate." I said as I set up three targets. "When you're ready, aim straight for the middle."

"Shieldon." He nodded his head then waited for me to get out the way before attempting Thunderbolt. His body crackled with electricity before it flew out from him directly upwards then curved around, aiming straight for the ground, only in the opposite direction of what he needed.

"Watch out!" I yelled in warning and the guys all looked up before yelling and getting out the way. Or at least, most of them.

"AGH!" Ash yelled as he took the hit and I winced slightly. That has to hurt.

"Shield?" Shieldon asked, looking around then looked guiltily as Ash groaned on the ground, smoking slightly.

"Good try. You've definitely got the power." I said to Shieldon as Pikachu hopped over.

"Pika! Pika Pika, Pikachu." He said then tensed his little body, storing energy before blasting one of my targets. "Pi!"

"Shieldon!" He cheered, nodding his head then tried again. Pikachu helped Shieldon to train and I stood, giving praise and advice on how to control the direction of the Thunderbolt, as Shieldon seemed to have no control whatsoever. I think that's the seventh time Ash has been struck today, and we've only been going half an hour.

"I think I need some air…" He said wearily as he dragged himself to his feet and head towards the woods. "I'll be somewhere out of range if anyone needs me." He said and Shieldon watched him leave before lowering his head.

"Shieldon…"

"It's okay." I said, crouching down and rubbing his back with a smile. "You're still learning and it takes lots of practice to get things like this right. How about we try one more time?" I suggested and Shieldon nodded his head.

"Shield." We all stepped back and Shieldon walked forwards a few steps before stopping, facing the target as Pikachu gave some more last minute advice. Shieldon took a deep breath, relaxing himself and closed his eyes to clear his mind before powering up.

The electricity built and I waited a few moments before shouting and pointing ahead. "Now!" Shieldon released his Thunderbolt attack and this time, it went straight ahead towards the target. It didn't hit the centre but the tree behind it, however it was an improvement. "Awesome Shieldon! All we have to do now is work on your accuracy and the timing. You'll be an expert in no time." I praised with laughter as Shieldon and called out in celebration and leaped into my arms.

"Pikachu!" Our little helped jumped into the air as all the other Pokémon cheered as well, making me smile as Shieldon beamed with happy pride.

"You take a break, you've earned it." I told him, smiling as I tickled him under the chin. "Now, who's next?" I asked, turning around to face my Pokémon and they all called out and jumped around.

"Hey Ruby! How about you help me train with Swinub?" Dawn called with a wave of her hand. "We need to get a little practice in."

"Sure thing. Okay Ponyta, you're up!" I nodded my head and moved to stand opposite Dawn with a fair distance between us as my other Pokémon sparred gently together just out the corner of my eye where I could keep an eye on them, though I didn't worry as Charizard was acting as referee as Ash, Brock and the rest of Dawn's Pokémon all joined in.

Ponyta stomped the ground in front of me and I smirked competitively as Dawn wore a determined look on her face. "Don't think because you have the advantage that we're going easy or will let you push us over! We're in this to win. Right Swinub?" Dawn questioned and her cute little pig Pokémon lifted its face with a smile.

"Swi!"

"Okay then. Dawn, you go first." I invited so she instantly flung out her hand.

"Alright Swinub, use Take Down!" Swinub powered towards Ponyta who waited for my order.

"Ponyta, use Wild Charge." Nodding my head Ponyta stomped his foot and instantly powered forwards, crackling with energy and the two Pokémon collided together. Both were flung back and Ponyta skidded along the ground, holding his own then snorted as Swinub flew back in the air.

"Swinub! Are you okay?" Swinub leaped back to his feet and Dawn sighed with relief before pointing at Ponyta. "In that case, use Dig!" Swinub buried his way underground and Ponyta instantly began to panic, snorting and prancing on the spot nervously as he searched for Swinub.

"Stay calm Ponyta, it's alright." I told him as I sensed Swinub move through the ground. "When I say, jump straight up." Ponyta nodded his head and prepared for the leap, calming down as I felt Swinub start to rise up through the ground. "Now!" Ponyta leaped straight up into the air as Swinub powered out from the ground, blinking in surprise as Ponyta looked directly down on him. "Now Flamethrower, go!" Ponyta blasted Swinub with his flames and Swinub was knocked back once again.

"Swinub!" Dawn shrieked but when Swinub shook himself off once more, we both smiled and continued to battle. We switched around Pokémon, doing both single and double battles for all round training before finally it was time to rest. "Now Ambipom use Swift and Swinub, use Ice Shard!" Dawn called as I faced her with Leafeon and Aurora.

"Razor Leaf Leafeon, and Aurora, you take out that Ice Shard with Force Palm!" I countered and our Pokémon instantly leaped to it. Leafeon cancelled out the Swift, causing stars to burst all around them as he leaped up into the air and Aurora thrust out her palm, breaking the Ice Shard as it flew towards her and a tinkling ring sang through the air as both my Pokémon flipped and landed in a pose close together, snowflakes and sparkles shining down around them all.

"Wow! That looked so pretty!" Dawn squealed but just then, Swinub began to glow. "Huh? Swinub!"

"He's evolving!" I gasped then smiled, watching as Swinub grew in size before finishing in the form of a Piloswine. "Dawn, Swinub evolved into Piloswine, isn't that great?"

"Amazing! Piloswine that's so cool!" She laughed as she ran forwards and flung her arms onto her new Piloswine, burying her face into his soft fur. "You look amazing Piloswine, and your fur is so bushy!" She giggled as all the Pokémon cheered for Piloswine who called out and rubbed his piggy nose into Dawn, making her giggle further. "Okay, let's get back to our battle. Let's see what you've got Piloswine, use Take Down!"

"Dodge it!" I ordered and from there on, we continued our training for the rest of the day until we broke off to do some private training on our own. I'd done some cardio work with all my Pokémon in the evening, which means running, press ups, katas and all sorts of stamina and strength building exercises that really wore you down. Aurora enjoyed that the most, but what she loved even more was the private sparring between me and her, where we would fight one another with battle moves like kicks, punches and throws.

After a long day, we sat down with all our Pokémon and gave them a long grooming and wash session. Dawn washed Buneary as I polished Shieldon's head then began to brush through Ponyta's coat to get off some of the dirt before washing down his legs and picking out his hooves. "Ruby, can I ask you something?" Dawn asked as she dried Buneary off then put back on her sweet little jacket.

"Sure Dawn. Fire away." I said as I leaned against Ponyta to help support his weight as I picked out his hooves.

"Well, you see the thing is, I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time but the right moment never seemed to come up." She admitted and I stayed quiet as I finished Ponyta's fourth hoof then patted his rump before sitting down again and starting to brush Leafeon. "You wear those charms on your bracelets, but I couldn't help noticing that Gary had one as well on his necklace. A Squirtle, right?" I blushed slightly so I dipped my head to hide it from her.

"That's right."

"Did you give it to him?" Well, I couldn't lie could I? I always felt terrible whenever I tried to lie, which is why I was hopeless at staying out of trouble with my parents when I was a kid whenever I did something wrong.

"Yes." Keeping it short and simple, I hoped that would be the end of it but unfortunately, I forgot how much Dawn likes to gossip.

"So, you've known him since you were little?" She pestered and I nodded my head.

"That's right." I could see the cogs turning inside her head. "Okay Dawn, what are you up to?" I questioned and she feigned innocence as she brushed Pachirisu, who was nibbling on one of her favourite snacks.

"Me? Up to? Nothing! Except brushing Pachirisu of course. No need to worry!" She quickly informed me but I only arched an eyebrow at her, telling her I didn't buy it. "Well okay, so _maybe_ I'm thinking that you two would make a great couple, but that's all!" She quickly gushed and I rolled my eyes.

"Gary is an arrogantly vain jerk on a good day and a rude jackass every other. There's no way I would be able to stand him for more than a few minutes at a time." I informed her firmly, though I was exaggerating just a little bit. "He's always trying to irritate me so I think it's for his own safety that we don't see one another all that often." Dawn pouted at me.

"But I think he likes you." That made me stop. What was she talking about? There's no way Gary stupid Oak could have a crush on me. Right? "I mean, Ash and Brock told me how he'd given you that flute, and your necklace, so that's got to mean something!"

"You're getting ahead of yourself." I informed her, shifting in my place to explain face on. "The flute was a gift he received from someone else, but he had no need for it so he passed it on to me, and the necklace was a way of cheering me up after an awful time at the Johto Leagues." Dawn pursed her lips slightly, arching an eyebrow at me as I continued to work on all my Pokémon.

"So…do you like him?" She questioned, unsure of where I stood so I sighed slightly impatiently.

"He's just a friend." I clarified before moving onto Aurora who stood before me and let me gently brush her fur so that she was as clean as a whistle. She gave me a thoughtful look, however, which made me blink at her. "What?" But she only shrugged and turned around so I rolled my eyes and continued with my task.

"Well when I get married, I want to have a nice home and a large family with as many kids as possible." Dawn declared to me with a dreamy smile. "Being an only child is kind of lonely, so I want to have more than three at least." She said and I chuckled.

"And what kind of guy would you want to settle down with?" I asked and she thought for a moment.

"Definitely someone who can cook as well as Brock. That means we can share the job and someone who loves Pokémon of course." She beamed at all her Pokémon who cheered in agreement. "And obviously, he has to be super handsome." Chuckling softly I nodded my head.

"I guess that helps, but remember Dawn, it's what's on the inside that counts." I reminded her. "You could meet a really handsome guy and he'll turn out to be the biggest jerk there ever was."

"Yeah I know…" She sighed, looking down before smirking mischievously at me. "So what about you? What will you do when you grow up?"

"Well that's easy. I'll work for Pokémon." I answered her. "I'll travel the regions finding homes for abandoned Pokémon, stop Pokémon thieves like Team Rocket from taking away other people's Pokémon and help return all the Pokémon that were stolen by Hunter J if I can find them." I told her but Dawn shook her head.

"No, no! I mean when you get _married_." She iterated and I just looked at her. Me? Married? I don't think so. If I'm going to be travelling across the regions, I won't have time to settle down and get married or start a family. "Who would you marry? How many kids would you have? Where will you live and what kind of wedding will you have?"

"Uh…" I gulped, startled by all the questions. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"Well I know what I want for my wedding. I'm going to have all my Pokémon there dressed up in little suits or dresses and they'll scatter flower petals everywhere as I walk down the aisle in a dress designed by myself, and we'll get married in a big beautiful church." Dawn started to describe and I could picture it all. "Brock will take care of catering, my cousins will be bridesmaids, you'll be one too and everything will be perfect." She sighed dreamily, closing her eyes to imagine it.

"Sound wonderful." I told her and she smiled brightly.

"I know! So come on, what about you?" I thought for a moment. I'd never really considered the possibility that I might one day fall in love and want to get married. What kind of wedding _would_ I want?

"Well, I think my wedding would have to be outside." I said, turning a smile up at Charizard. "So that my good buddy here can have enough room to move." He growled affectionately at me, puffing hot air down my neck and I giggled at the tickling sensation. "And that's about it really. I'm not too much of a fan on big white weddings, so it would just be a small occasion." We talked for a little while longer, or at least Dawn did, all about wedding cakes, dresses and things like that. I wasn't surprised that Dawn had her life all perfectly planned out and I hoped she'd get everything she wanted, because she definitely deserved it, though I was happy when she made sure I understood that none of this would ever happen until after she'd become as great a coordinator as her mother.

With the Pokémon all done we went and joined the boys for some dinner before we started to wind down for bed. I played my flute, calming all the Pokémon until Ash was sound asleep and Brock was yawning, struggling to stay awake, so we all hit the hay.

As I lay down, my mind began to spin with thoughts. Me and Gary? No way. That was never, _ever_ going to happen. Not a chance. Curling up with Ponyta beside me, Leafeon, Shieldon and Aurora snuggled against me and Charizard laying down with his tail curved around us all and his wing slightly spread out to block out the noise of the wind, I yawned with a slight stretch then went straight to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

Though Piloswine was newly evolved, we all noticed a change in him. As Dawn was trying to train for Piloswine's contest debut, he wouldn't listen to a thing that Dawn said and only moved when she started to feed him poffins, tossing them about the training yard but when she told him there was no more, he charged at her.

"Dawn look out!" Ash yelled and dragged her out the way, however Piloswine continued to charge and slammed into a tree with a lot of force, but he shook it off and charged after Dan and Ash again, firing Ice Shards after them both.

"Piloswine stop that! What are you doing?!" Dawn shrieked as they both ran for their lives, trying to outmanoeuvre Piloswine who just kept on coming as Brock and I watched with horror before I snapped to my senses.

"Aurora go! Use Force Palm!" I called as Piplup was tossed up into the air after trying to stop Piloswine himself and as he fell towards the ground, I leaped forwards and caught him in my arms then turned to see Aurora try to stop Piloswine.

Her feet ground into the earth, trying to stop Piloswine but with a flick of his tusks, Aurora went flying backwards. "Focus Blast!" Growling determinedly Aurora flung her attack forwards and this time, Piloswine was stopped, wavering on the spot in a daze as the blast hit him full on. "Good job Aurora." I nodded my head and she returned the gesture as Dawn rushed over to me.

"Piplup! Are you okay?" She questioned and Piplup instantly pulled himself together, putting on a strong expression.

"Piplup!" He assured her proudly as Dawn looked to Piloswine.

"I don't get it? Why wouldn't Piloswine listen to me?" She questioned turning to us as we all grouped together.

"Pokémon do change after they evolve." Brock told her gently. "Just like people, their personalities evolve along with them." Dawn sighed and hung her head, a little lost for words. Piloswine stopped wavering on his feet and shook off his daze, settling down to sit in the middle of the yard quietly.

"Hey Dawn, how about putting Piloswine in a battle? That way he'll have no other option but to do what you say!" Ash tried and Dawn instantly brightened, lifting her head with a smile.

"Of course! Great idea Ash, let's go Piloswine!" She called them leaped over to stand behind him as Ash stood opposite her with Grotle.

"Alright Grotle, use Razor Leaf!"

"Piloswine, you use Dig!" Dawn countered but Piloswine just stood there and took the hit. "What are you doing?" She asked in bewilderment before shaking her head. "Okay, now it's our turn to attack, use Ice Shard!" But Piloswine just stood there. "Uh oh…not again." Piplup marched forwards and lifted a floppy ear, calling softly just to double check that Piloswine could hear before hopping back to Dawn's side.

"Grotle, use Razor Leaf one more time!" Ash called and Grotle stood up before throwing his leaves forwards, letting them rip through the air and this time, Piloswine responded. His entire body flashed white before a beautiful silvery orb appeared in front of him and tore through the leaves before hitting Grotle on the head but Grotle took the damage then absorbed it.

"Brock?" I questioned as his mouth dropped open. "Is it just me, or did Piloswine just use Ancient Power?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, looks like it." He answered as Dawn gasped, not understanding how Piloswine knew that move when it couldn't use it when he was a Swinub. "That was _before_ it evolved. He's a Piloswine now."

"Alright!" Dawn cheered but then Piloswine sniffed the air, picking up a scent which obviously smelled good, as not a moment later he suddenly charged out of the Pokémon Centre grounds, trumpeting loudly as he went. "Wait Piloswine, where are you going? Come back!" Dawn yelled as we all raced after our rouge Pokémon.

We found him munching down on a syrup cake which was set on a picnic blanket, though the owners were nowhere in sight. Guess Piloswine had scared them off when he came charging towards them at break neck speed. Dawn hung her head and returned him, sniffing as tears of frustration filled her eyes so I gently put my arm around her. "It's okay. We'll work this out." I promised her. "Look, how about you and the boys head back to the Pokémon Centre and I'll head into town to do some shopping for our supplies." I suggested and Brock nodded his head.

"I think that's a great idea. Come on Dawn." He said, putting his arm around her also so I withdrew mine and let him lead her away.

"Hey Ruby, are you making dessert tonight? If you are then can I place an order for a sponge cake? Just smelling the one Piloswine ate has my mouth watering like crazy." Ash requested so I shot him a look before whacking the back of his head.

"Not the time genius." I growled at him before striding away, Aurora snorting at Ash before jumping after me. The shops were large and it took a while to get everything on my list, from Dawn's morning hair gel to the Pokémon's food and medicine. I also made sure I had stocked up on food to take with us on our journey to Ash's next gym battle.

Double checking my list after visiting my seventh shop, Aurora and I head back to the Pokémon Centre as the light was starting to go down. Aurora held one of the bags for me as we walked together, smiling at everyone we passed in the street before heading on inside. The gang wasn't back yet, so I went into the kitchen to use some ingredients I had bought especially and started to make a jam syrup sponge.

Once it was baked I left it out to cool and I took a deep breath, smiling as the sweet aroma wafted around me. As it cooled I cleaned up everything I had used as Chansey and the chefs opened up the cafeteria for dinner, so I leant them a hand. When the gang stepped into line for their helping of lasagne, they were surprised to see me behind the counter. "Hey Ruby, we were wondering where you'd got to." Dawn said as I placed her portion on her plate. "Have you been helping out here all this time?"

"Sure have! It was fun. I was the official taste tester." I announced proudly as I gave Ash and extra big slice as I could hear his stomach growling even from the other side of the counter. "Nothing was allowed out here without my official approval." I joked. "I'll be with you guys in a minute, just let me finish this up okay?"

"Sure thing. We have lots to tell you." Strange, I wonder what could have happened in the time I went to the shops that had the gang all excited.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu called at me and I chuckled.

"Don't worry little buddy, I didn't forget." I assured him, drawing out the ketchup I'd kept aside just for him. "All for you."

"Pikachu Pi!" His eyes glittered as Ash took it from me and Pikachu instantly wrestled with the cap, trying to get it off as the others all laughed. I finished serving out food, stacked up my plate a little then went out front with Aurora and the cake.

"Cake!" Ash yelled, leaping up so the moment I put the cake down, I first whacked his hand away from it then the back of his head.

"Cool it genius, wait until I'm done eating." Ash groaned, thumping his head on the table in despair. "So what's the story?"

"Well you see, we saw an advertisement for Pokémon bonding sessions, so we all went along to check it out." Brock began to explain. "We thought it would be good for Dawn and her Piloswine, but it was really just a scam set up by Team Rocket to capture all our Pokémon."

"No way!"

"Yeah! But when Yanmega hit Piloswine with Sonic Boom, he got real mad and he evolved into Mamoswine! He broke everyone out of the cage and he sent Team Rocket flying. Only then he turned on us and we only stopped him by returning him to his Pokéball." Dawn said, her excited expression quickly disappearing as she sighed.

"Oh Dawn, I'm sorry." I said to her gently. "But no need to worry, things will get better. Everyone has to face challenges, especially trainers like us." Dawn lifted her head slightly with a small smile. "Your Mamoswine may be a handful now, but one day you're going to earn back his respect and then you'll be the greatest of friends again."

"You're right. There really is no need to worry." Dawn agreed before looking hungrily at the cake and licking her lips. "Especially when there's cake!" We all laughed then began to cut up the pieces, as despite me having not finished my dinner, I doubt Ash would have been able to hold off much longer.


	43. Chapter 43

With an exciting few days under our belts, we were surprised when Nurse Joy came and told us Ash had received a phone call just minutes before we were going to head out to the pier to catch the boat to the where Dawn's next contest was being held. We were even more surprised to find that it was Barry who had called us.

"Hello my beautiful pumpkin pie, you're looking undeniably ravishing today." Barry said to me coolly as I gave a worried laugh and a forced smile.

"Gee Barry, thank you. You're looking…well." I replied as he blew me a kiss then turned to Ash who looked just as worried as I did.

"So Ash, manage to win at the Canalave gym?" Barry questioned and Ash instantly smiled and pulled it out from his badge case.

"Yeah Barry, you bet I won! See this? Cool huh?!" He said proudly as he showed the Mine Badge to our friend who smirked.

"Alright, guess I'll have to treat you like a true rival. You should feel honoured." He said and we all gave a little laugh, unsure of how to respond before Ash ploughed on ahead.

"So Barry, tell me how your training is going."

"Actually, not so…good." He revealed with his head tilted down, arms folded and eyes closed.

"Did something go wrong?" Dawn questioned and he looked up again.

"Yeah, something's really wrong with Empoleon. All of a sudden Empoleon doesn't recognise me. Nurse Joy's taking care of him right now, I'll tell you Empoleon's not the only one acting strange. A whole bunch of other Pokémon have gone crazy, just like Empoleon. They're causing havoc all over the island!" He said and we all looked at one another in concern. "And what about you? Are all your Pokémon okay?" He interrogated and we nodded our heads.

"Everything's fine on our end." Ash reported and Barry wore a thoughtful expression.

"I wonder if it's only on Iron Island. Nurse Joy can't seem to figure out why Empoleon is acting so strange either. So I guess I'll have to figure this thing out myself." He announced and Ash instantly stepped forwards, clenching his fists determinedly.

"Come on Barry, you know we'll come over there and help you out." Barry blinked before glaring at him harshly.

"Are you trying to say I'm not smart enough to figure this out all by myself?!" He demanded so I quickly stepped in and waved a hand with a nervous smile.

"No, no! Of course not Barry, we just want to help you." I informed him. "If we come over to Iron Island then we're bound to figure out what's going on much faster as a team. Right guys?" I turned and all three of them nodded their heads.

"Right." They chorused as Pikachu lifted his tiny fist into the air.

"Pika Pika!"

"The next ferry to Iron Island leaves in fifteen minutes." Brock informed us so Ash turned back to face Barry.

"Great! Then we'll catch that ferry and head over now. We'll be there before you know it." He promised before cutting the call. "Come on guys, we've got to catch that ferry!"

"You're right, let's move!" I agreed and we all ran out the Pokémon centre and straight to the pier where we boarded the ferry to Iron Island. We stood at the front of the ship, Ash shifting from foot to foot impatiently as we moved rather slowly through the water. He paced and jumped and fiddled before finally he burst.

"Agh! Can't this thing go any faster?!" He demanded to know so I whacked him on the back of his head as Pikachu smartly jumped onto my shoulder to avoid hitting the floor.

"Cool it genius, this is no time to lose our heads." I told him firmly as I placed my hands on my hips, Aurora and Pikachu sitting on both of my shoulders. "So just try and calm down."

"You're right. Sorry about that." He said, getting up and dusted himself off as Brock looked out across the water.

"We won't be waiting long. Look!" We turned to see Iron Island dead ahead so we waited in silence before finally jumping off the moment we docked and ran to the Pokémon Centre. However upon arrival Nurse Joy told us that he'd already left to investigate. After checking on his Empoleon and seeing that only steel type Pokémon seemed to be affected at all, we were even more determined to help them by finding out what was the cause of all their pain, so we head straight out.

We began to explore, climbing up higher and higher and saw no Pokémon at all. "Man, what is up with Iron Island?" Ash questioned as we looked around. I shivered, hugging Aurora to me as we walked. There was something wrong about this place. I didn't like how it felt.

"I hope Barry's okay." Dawn said just as the ground began to tremble, making us all stop and gasp. Heads sprouted from the ground, calling out in warning and fear as the Diglett and Dugtrio moved swiftly away, passing around us and burrowed back underground where it was a little safer just as a Lairon burst out of the ground, yelling at the top of its voice. "All the Diglett must be trying to escape that Lairon!" Dawn yelped as the Pokémon began to smash its head against rocks, shattering and spraying them everywhere.

"Then let's take a leaf out of their book!" I yelled, grabbing her arm and pulled her out the way as we hurried to hide a safe distance away behind some rocks. The Lairon continued to smash its head against the rocks, crying out and suddenly, we realised what was going.

"That Lairon isn't going after the Diglett!" Ash said as Dawn's eyes widened.

"It looks like it's in pain!" As Lairon began to barrel towards us, Ash leaped out with Pikachu and stood his ground.

"Lairon stop this right now!" He yelled but as Lairon continued to power forwards, Ash turned to Pikachu. "Alright Pikachu, use Thunderbolt and aim for it's legs." He ordered and Pikachu nodded before shooting his attack at Lairon exactly as Ash had instructed but with no effect. "And again!" The second time did no better, and when the third attempt failed, I hurled myself forwards and slammed into Ash as Aurora grabbed Pikachu and we both dragged them out the way as Lairon charged past and finally knocked itself out against another rock.

"Ash!" Brock yelled as he and Dawn ran over to us. "Are you both okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. You okay Ruby?" He asked me as I stood up and held out my hand, helping him to his feet.

"Sure am genius." I assured him with a nod of my head. "That was a close one." However just then the ground underneath the Lairon exploded and a hoard of Geodude and Graveller appeared, running away from the Metang as it yelled and began to strike itself on the head against the rocks.

"It's a Metang!" Brock called out as we all took several steps back, getting out of the way of the fleeing Pokémon as they tried to find safety elsewhere.

"It's like it's trying to hurt itself!"

"I think that's exactly what they're trying to do." I said as I focused on the steel Pokémon that started to show up. Skarmony and Steelix as they blasted out their attacks. "They're trying to knock themselves out so that they won't feel any pain, and they keep on attacking because they can't think straight and they're trying to defend themselves from whatever's hurting them." I explained just as a Hyper Beam started to blaze over our heads. "Get down!" We all hit the deck save for Aurora, who leaped forwards just as the Steelix was shoved out the way by an Aggron, who yelled loudly but she was not intimidated. "Aurora come back!"

Without a word Aurora closed her eyes and stood calmly, holding her paws in front of her as I started to run towards her. A pinkish purple light began to pulse out from an orb she held in front of her, shining brightly as it washed around all the Pokémon. "Aurora, is that Heal Pulse?" I questioned in shock, staring at her as she tried to help the steel Pokémon, however it seemed to have no effect as the Aggron powered up a Flash Cannon attack and Aurora stopped, jaw dropping down as she stared up at the towering Pokémon with the beam of light channelling towards her.

I reacted without thinking, running the last few steps then skidded to a halt and flung my arms around her, sweeping her off the ground then turned my back to shield her as the beam of bright light powered straight at us.

Without warning someone grabbed me in a tight grip and pulled us both out the way, lifting me off the ground to carry us away from the blast as I gasped and Aurora blinked, looking up with wide eyes to see a man with deep ebony hair holding us both out of danger. "Lucario, Close Combat." A soft but focused voice called and I looked around to see a Lucario spring up at the Aggron and pummel it with fist, foot and finally a smack with its tail, knocking it out cold as I stared. Wow. I'd almost forgotten how awesome Lucario are.

I tensed slightly as the man holding me stood up then rested me on my feet steadily, my arms holding Aurora as we both stared at him and his Lucario. "Okay, are you alright?" He asked and I nodded my head with the same stupid look on my face.

"Uh huh." Aurora yapped and jumped out of my arms, making me snap awake as I watched her run over to the Lucario. "Aurora wait!" I called after her as she stood before the Lucario with a mystified expression, staring upwards before smiling and striking some punches, trying to copy what she'd seen him do making the Lucario chuckle and reach down to ruffle her head gently.

"So you called your Riolu Aurora?" He questioned me as the others all ran over.

"Yeah, she hatched as an egg for me." I said as I turned my full attention to him, sensing his strength and power without even needing to concentrate. "Are you a…"

"We can't stop here." He told us all, cutting me off but gave me a friendly smile. "It's not safe. Lucario, we'd better go." Lucario nodded his head and started running, holding back its arms the same was Aurora does as she ran, and she instantly followed after him, keeping pace as she continued to look up at her new idol.

Without question we all followed after this stranger, knowing that there would be other crazed steel type Pokémon nearby. We hurried until Lucario sprang up onto a rock and touched it with one paw, kneeling down as he began to sense for other life forms around us.

Aurora jumped up onto a smaller rock, climbing the last little bit before scrambling up to Lucario's side and copied his stance, trying to help feel for other auras around us before Lucario finally stood and nodded it his trainer after he had finished explaining to Dawn what Lucario was doing. "Good. Thanks Lucario. Apparently the area is safe, so how about a break?" The others were already collapsed on the ground, sighing with relief.

"Thanks a bunch for saving Ruby before. My name's Ash." He introduced and I nodded my head respectfully to the guy who I had suspicions about.

"Hi, my name is Riley, I specialise in steel types. Lots of steel type Pokémon live on the island, so this is where I live and train." He explained to us as Ash then turned to the strong Lucario that stood at his side, having jumped down from the rocks. Aurora beamed and leaped into the air, making a flip but having jumped so high, she squeaked and lost her nerve, making my head snap around but before I could lunge to catch her, Lucario had already moved a step back and caught her in his paws, making her blink then grin up at him before she flipped back and returned to my side, puffing out her chest proudly.

"We came out here looking for a friend. He's called Barry and his Empoleon was affected just like the rest of the steel types here. Have you seen him?" In answer Riley shook his head.

"No. I haven't." Ash sighed and glanced at us. Where could he be? I hope he's not in trouble. With steel Pokémon running rampage, he'll have to be very careful where he steps.

"So have you lived here for a long time?" Ash continued and Riley nodded his head with a chuckle towards Aurora as she lifted herself up to stand tall but then lost her balance and fell against my leg.

"Yes. You see, this island is made mostly of rocky terrain, which is exactly why this island is best suited for us. To condition our hearts and bodies, just like a steel type. Iron Island has always felt like a homeland for my soul." Wow, now that's deep. "So now that my homeland is in danger, and for the sake of all steel types, we're investigating the cause occurrences." Lucario grunted and nodded his head in agreement, looking straight at me.

"But isn't Lucario a steel type too?" Dawn questioned curiously, holding Piplup in her arms.

"Yes, Lucario is a steel type and a fighting type." Riley clarified but then Brock frowned.

"Then how come Lucario doesn't seem to be affected?" He asked so this time I answered.

"It's Lucario's aura. He's using it as a shield to block out everything like protective armour." I explained as Lucario revealed his aura, shining a perfect blue around him before it disappeared, making everyone stare in awe.

"That's so cool." Ash said, smiling broadly. "Hey Aurora, one day, you're going to look just like that!" He said and Aurora nodded her head, trying to mimic Lucario's stern expression but it only made me chuckle. Riley and I looked at one another and a silent understanding passed between us. I knew what he was, and he knew that I was the same, though neither of us said it.

"Come. We must continue our investigation." Riley said, standing up and nodded his head. "Lead the way Lucario." Aurora jumped forwards and started to walk at Lucario's side, copying every move he made from a twitch of his ear to when he stopped and sensed his surroundings. "In our research, Lucario and I have discovered there is a special low frequency sound wave covering the island that only affects steel type Pokémon.

"Low frequency?" Ash echoed and Riley nodded his head, looking back at us.

"It's having an adverse effect on the bodies of every steel types here. Of course their senses and demeanour have been altered." He explained and Brock lifted his head, thinking back to when we had encountered the Lairon that kept on hurting itself.

"That's why they don't feel any pain."

"But the way they keep on slamming their bodies into rocks and hurting themselves? They must be taking damage. I really want to help all of them." Riley looked back at Ash thoughtfully as I nodded my head in silent agreement, using my own aura to reach out and sense what was around us and I too picked up the sound wave.

"Riley, do you know what the source of the sound wave is?" Brock questioned as Riley turned his head back to face the front.

"That's what we're working on." He said optimistically before stopping and facing a path. "Okay, that path will lead you back into town. If I do happen to run into Barry, I'll tell him to meet you there." But Ash voiced all of our thoughts.

"No, we want to go with you. We're really worried about Barry and we can't leave all those poor steel types to suffer like that."

"Pikachu!" Our yellow friend nodded his head determinedly as agreement as Piplup lifted a flipper.

"Pip Piplup."

"Too dangerous. Sorry." Riley told us shortly so I stepped forwards and lifted a clenched fist, showing him how determined I was to help those Pokémon.

"We're not the ones in danger, those Pokémon are. If they keep on hurting themselves then they're putting their lives at risk. We're all trainers here and I have trained hard for over a year at my own battling skills. I can protect us all if need be." He looked at me closely, trying to judge my words and their honesty.

"But will you hesitate to attack a Pokémon that's gone berserk?" He questioned harshly and Dawn swallowed nervously.

"It's not going to be easy to do that." She admitted and we all looked at one another before I lifted my head and spoke.

"But we'll do the right thing and protect one another at any cost. I know I will." I announced then held out my fist. "And I know I can rely on you guys too."

"Right." Ash agreed, placing his hand on top of mine as Brock reached out and added his hand to the circle.

"Agreed. We're all in this together." Dawn and Piplup nodded their heads with confident smiles.

"No need to worry, not when we've got each other watching our backs." She placed her hand in the middle and we all nodded at one another before turning to Riley. "So Riley, lead the way." A small smirk crept on Riley's mouth as he looked at us all before nodding his head finally and looking to Lucario.

"Go Lucario. Let's find the source." We started off at a walk, Lucario trying to get a fix on the sound wave until finally he had it locked and we began to run. "The low frequency sound waves are coming from up ahead!" Riley called as Lucario's ears pricked up and he then turned to grunt at Riley. "You're saying someone's up there too? Quite a few of them as well."

"Aurora, stay close." I ordered so she dropped back from running at Lucario's side and jumped up into my arms, smiling up at me as I gave her a quick hug then placed her on my back to carry her.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Ash said as I ran beside him.

"You're only getting a bad feeling just now?" I teased with a smirk as he glanced my way with a small smile too. "I got a bad feeling the moment we got off that boat, genius." We slowed as we approached a cliff edge, but the moment we ducked down and looked over, we saw an excavation had been made to find an old temple of some sort, with carvings and statues of both Dialga and Palkia.

"What's that?" Ash breathed.

"Pika…"

"Looks like some sort of ruins." Brock answered, everyone hushing their voices so that we wouldn't be seen.

"Look, Team Galactic!" Dawn spotted the no good group down below. They had to be the cause of this, no doubt about it. But what were they _doing_?

"Which means this place must have something to do with the time space legend." Brock discerned and I nodded my head quietly in agreement.

"So when Lucario sensed there were lots of people up ahead, he was sensing Team Galactic."

"Who are Team Galactic?" Riley questioned in confusion, never having heard of them before.

"They're trying to uncover the legend of Sinnoh time space, and they're apparently going after Dialga and Palkia." Brock explained to him as we all looked down on the suspicious activity below us.

"Incredible…so this must be the source! The low frequency sound wave causing all this trouble. They have to be coming from these ruins. I had no idea that ruins made out of a metal like substance even existed on Iron Island." Riley said to us s Lucario growled and Aurora echoed, glaring down at Team Galactic hotly.

"I bet Team Galactic discovered them then dug them up." We all agreed quietly before Lucario grunted and pointed down to a strange golden key like form being heavily guarded by both Pokémon and guards.

"What? You must be sensing great power. Focus your aura and find out as much as you can. It's got to have something to do with those sound waves." Riley said assuredly as Lucario closed his eyes and focused on the golden item as it was picked up by one of the Galactic commanders and carried closer towards the ruins. I watched in amazement as it started to glow then lifted out of her hands, fixing itself into a slab where it clicked perfectly into place.

Slowly a blue light began to glow, rising up the statues of both legendary beasts and it began to ripple across the ground boldly. Suddenly a large blue beacon burst out from a pillar point and shot out into the sky, causing all of us to rear backwards and shield our eyes from the harsh light.

Without warning Lucario yelled and flew backwards, hitting the ground and made us all gasp. "Lucario! Are you alright?" Lucario stood up, clenching its teeth tightly as a dark light shone around him and I could feel the pain starting to get to him.

"Lucario?" Ash questioned nervously.

"Lucario is starting to act strange!"

"Not Lucario too…" Dawn whimpered as Aurora leaped up and ran towards Lucario with a desperate cry.

"No Aurora!" I yelled, leaping up to my feet and ran for her as Ash and Riley also rushed forwards, calling out Lucario's name as he created an Aura Sphere in front of him. "Aurora!" Lucario launched his Aura Sphere directly at us and I managed to grab Aurora in time and I knelt down, tucking her into me ad lifted an arm to bar the attack, however when I looked up, I realised that I was already surrounded by Riley's aura shield.

"Is this _aura_?" Ash questioned in shock. "But Ruby, this isn't you is it?" He turned to me as I stood up and shook my head.

"No." I answered, looking at Riley as he knelt on the ground, focusing on Lucario.

"The truth is I've been training as an aura guardian with Lucario." He revealed to us as his shield disappeared.

"But why is Lucario acting that way?" Dawn asked in a high pitched voice. "Lucario was protecting himself with his aura, right?"

"Something more powerful than Lucario's aura is coming from the ruins. Too powerful for Lucario to protect himself against." Lucario used Bone Rush and hammered the ground with his powerful melee weapon, causing Geodude to break up from the ground and flee in panic.

"Stop it Lucario!" Ash yelled but that only drew Lucario's attention to us so he rushed forwards, aiming his attack.

"Way to go genius!" I snapped as Riley tried but failed to return Lucario. With a swing of his glowing bone staff Lucario knocked the Pokéball out of Riley's hand and it smashed on the ground, making everyone gasp but then Riley himself was thrown backwards, taking a powerful hit to the gut. "Riley!" Surging forwards as Lucario went to strike Riley again, I tackled him around the waist and flung him of balance, yelling aloud as we both hit the ground then sprang up. "Snap out of it Lucario, I know you can do it." I told him but then he started to attack me instead.

"Ruby!" Ash yelled as Lucario kicked out but I dodged the attack and the next, a paw aimed for my face. Lucario came onto me and I either dodged or deflected, using my own feet or barring my arms to block as he pushed me back before finally I dropped to the ground and swept out his legs from underneath him. "Ruby! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I nodded my head, standing as Ash and Brock restrained Lucario. "We have to snap Lucario out of it, and fast."

"Ash." Riley spoke from where he recovered on the ground, clutching his chest and breathing slowly. "Tell Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on Lucario."

"But Lucario is in pain!" He argued.

"You have to. For Lucario." Ash blinked and looked at Lucario, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay Ash." I said, reaching out and touching his shoulder. "Lucario won't feel it, and he'd thank you later."

"Yeah Ash, we have to do something right now." Brock agreed but Ash still wasn't convinced. He didn't want to cause Lucario any more pain than he was already experiencing. It was Pikachu, however, who finally convinced Ash, stepping forwards with a determined expression.

"Pika Pi, Pika Pikachu!"

"Pikachu you too?" He questioned then finally nodded his head. "Okay Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu looked at Lucario then closed his eyes, tensing his little body and struck out at Lucario with everything he had. Ash, Brock and I were included in the blast, making us cry out in shock before finally it was over.

Lucario shook his head then ran off, abandoning us so we all took up and ran after him. "Come on, we have to follow Lucario!" We followed him to a cliff edge where we stopped and watched as he slid down the slope then went in with an attack however the numerous Golbat hit back with Shadow Ball before a familiar Purugly struck with Fury Swipes, knocking Lucario back until he struck a truck then hit the ground. "Lucario!" Ash called out but I gripped his jacket to keep him from running down there.

We all watched as Lucario stretched out a paw to point towards a machine with a glowing centre before he fainted from exhaustion. Poor Lucario, he must be in so much pain. "Riley we've got to do something!" Ash said determinedly but Riley held out a hand.

"Not so fast, let's destroy that machine first." He decided and we all looked down to the strange machine, unsure of exactly what it was.

"Riley, do you think that could be the cause of all the steel types' agony?"

"Not sure, but if Lucario went after it with such a vengeance then it's worth a try."

"Right." We all nodded and jumped over a crevasse in the ground, clearing it easily but I paused and looked back as I heard Piplup cry out, not quite making the jump.

"Oh no, Piplup!" Dawn squeaked, kneeling over the side and I ran back, looking down and was surprised to see Barry catch Piplup. "Huh? Barry?!" Dawn questioned in as much surprise as me. What was he doing down there? And with Team Rocket!

"What do you know? It's Dawn and my one true love!" Barry declared, grinning up at me. "I have counted the seconds until we were together again, my sweet." All colour drained from my face as I gave a forced smile.

"Hey Barry, great to see you too." I said slowly as Dawn called out to the others.

"I found Barry!"

"Dawn, you need help?" Ash called back but she shook her head.

"We'll be fine. You just go on ahead." She told him then looked at me. "You too Ruby, they're going to need you." Nodding my head I turned to Aurora as I stood up.

"Come on Aurora, let's get down to business." She nodded her head once firmly before we turned and chased after the others, however after a few paces we heard Dawn scream and we whirled around to see he tumble down the hole with a Steelix going after the group as they yelled. "Dawn!" But before I could run to help her, Riley had rushed past me and held out his hands, which began to glow and I sensed aura down below under my feet. "Riley!"

"I'll handle this, meanwhile you go and take care of that machine!" He yelled to us and we all nodded our heads.

"You got it! Staravia I choose you!" Ash called and his feathered friend appeared with a chirp.

"Croagunk, Sudowoodo let's go!" Brock called and his two Pokémon appeared, Sudowoodo giving his signature salute as Croagunk just sat there calmly.

"Okay, I choose everybody! Come on out because it's show time!" I cheered as I spun around, smiling excitedly as I threw my Pokéballs up into the air save for one, which I pulled out and smiled at. "Except you Shieldon, you stay in there where you'll be safe." Charizard roared as he flapped his wings and lifted up into the air, snarling down at Team Galactic as Leafeon and Ponyta both shifted on their feet with anticipation, shuddering slightly in their eagerness for battle. "Alright, Charizard take care of those Golbat with Dragon Tail, Leafeon use Razor Leaf and Ponyta, use Flamethrower to clear the way!"

My Pokémon all trumpeted as we raced forwards and began to slide down the slope, all of us focused on our task. "Aurora, go protect Lucario. Don't let anything hurt him." I ordered and she nodded her head from my shoulder, turning her attention towards Lucario and the moment we were on the ground, she leaped off and ran to him. "Pokémon go!"

They all leaped forwards, Brock and I drawing the attention of all the Golbat so that Staravia could carry Pikachu through. Leafeon hammered at the Golbat as Ponyta charged around, blasting away at them as Charizard spun in the air, whipping his tail to bat them aside in large clumps.

"Staravia go! Take Pikachu!" Ash directed and together, they flew for the machine. Pikachu leaped up and tried a Thunderbolt, but then three Golbat moved into the way and took the hit themselves.

"Deal with them Purugly!" The Galactic commander ordered and her fat Pokémon launched itself forwards and aimed a Fury Swipes attack however Staravia expertly spun out of the way, rolling over to avoid the attack but then another group of Gobat appeared directly in front of them.

"Staravia use Brave Bird!" Ash directed and Pikachu leaped straight up into the air as Staravia suddenly shot forwards, glowing with fire before it turned blue around her, knocking aside all the Golbat and with her diversion, Pikachu landed a Thunderbolt directly at the machine and blew it to kingdom come.

"Alright!" I cheered, leaping up into the air. "Go Pikachu! That's the way to do it!"

"Pika!" He cheered back and I laughed as my Pokémon all ran to me. Leafeon jumped up into my arms and I hugged him tightly before reaching out a hand and rubbing Ponyta's face as I leaned against his neck and smiled as Charizard lowered his head and rubbed it against me.

Lucario awoke and Aurora called out happily, flinging her arms around his neck the moment he had pushed himself up into a kneeling position. Lucario blinked then smiled, curling one arm under Aurora to keep her from slipping as he stood and tucked his head against her. "So that machine really was the cause." Ash said as Riley slid down the slope. Just then Charizard growled and I turned to see Team Galactic trying to retreat. "They're not getting away this time!"

"No way." I agreed and we all ran forwards. We ran after them as they boarded their helicopters. "Stop right there red!" I ordered and she paused to turn her head and look back at us slightly.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" Riley demanded to know but when she turned around, she lifted up a red button which she held her thumb over with a smirk on her face.

"Alright, come any closer and I'll blow up the entire island." She warned us, making Ash and Brock gasp.

"Blow it up?!"

"You wired everything with bombs?" Brock yelled in disbelief but the commander just continued to smirk.

"I'm not bluffing. I don't bluff. We don't need your world, so we're simply going to destroy it. Understand? Meantime I'll just press this when I feel like it. I hope you enjoy running." She chuckled viciously as she retreated back into the chopper, the doors closing before they lifted off into the air.

"Those jerks." Ash growled as Lucario suddenly lifted his head and gave a growl of notification.

"So Riley, did you locate the bombs?" Brock questioned.

"No Lucario did. They're all located directly below the ruins. But since you saved Lucario and all the other Pokémon, I'd say it's _our_ turn now." Lucario growled and nodded his head in agreement, still holding Aurora in his arms as she clung to his neck. "Lucario and I will take care of the bombs, so you guys go and help your friends."

"Right." We all nodded and I tried to reach out for Aurora as Ash and Brock bolted back to save Dawn and Barry, but Aurora refused to let go. "Aurora come on, we have to help Ash." I said but she only gripped onto Lucario tighter. He gave a soft growl and pulled her arms from around his neck, giving her a gentle nod and a small smile before handing her back to me. He and Riley ran off but I stood there as Aurora whimpered with worry. "I know, maybe they'll need our help." I said slowly, torn between helping Dawn and helping Riley.

Aurora sprang out of my arms and pointed after Lucario and Riley. "You're right. If we can't stop this island from blowing, then it doesn't matter if we go to help Ash and Dawn." I agreed, lifting my head then tilted down my hat and twisted around my neckerchief, signalling I was getting serious. "Let's go!"

We ran together, following after Riley and just before we entered the ruins, there was a massive boom and I yelled as the tremor sent me tumbling to the ground, skidding slightly as Aurora called out for me, running over and touched my arm as I took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Come on, we've got to help!" Aurora nodded and helped me stand as we raced into the ruins.

What we saw was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. A huge aura sphere surrounded the bombs, which burst with fire within but contained it completely, though I could see Lucario and Riley beginning to struggle. "Come on, keep it up Lucario!" Riley yelled as I skid down the slope, drawing his attention. "No! Ruby, you have to get out of here!"

"Not on your life." I answered stubbornly as I ran to the sphere and pressed my hands against it. Instantly the energy flooded through me and I closed my eyes, tensing every muscle in my body as Aurora stood beside me, helping to push back the explosion as I added my own aura control to the blast. With the four of us combined, the weight suddenly halved and it became much easier to bear, making Riley blink and stare at me in shock as I stood calmly, containing the blast.

"Quick! We have to get this away from the island now!" Riley instructed as he shook himself awake. "Ready?"

"Ready!" I called back then clenched my jaw as I concentrated, helping to lift the aura sphere up into the air and through the roof, having to put extra power into it to force it through the rock before finally, it was free and up into the air.

"Alright…release it!" I dropped my arms and collapsed to the ground, the exhaustion suddenly washing over me as I gasped for breath. Maybe I should work on my stamina as well as my power, because that was just _intense_. It was like holding a sun in the palm of your hand, unable to control its raw power and heat and having to contain it in a box whereby all it wanted to do is burn its way out and consume you too. "Ruby…are you…okay?" Riley gasped for breath, struggling to remain upright as I lay uselessly on the ground.

"Yeah…I think so." I answered, reaching out and petting Aurora's face as she knelt before me with worry. She smiled and rested her paw against my hand, turning her face into it as I recovered. Once I had my breath back I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "Come on Riley, we'd better get out of here." I said to him, taking an arm and slung it over my shoulders to help him walk.

We supported one another's weight as we walked out of the dust of the ruins, which hung in a thick cloud over us. When the gang saw us walking safely out of the cover, they ran to us whilst calling our names. "Ruby! Riley! Are you both okay?" Ash questioned as I let go of Riley and we stood, our shoulders heaving slightly.

"Yeah. We're fine." Riley nodded his head.

"Was that the power of aura that did that?" Dawn asked, holding Piplup in her arms.

"That's right. Those bombs were powerful, but all's well that ends well." He nodded his head just as a sharp cry sounded above us and we looked up to see a Skarmony and all the other Pokémon of the island standing up on the ridge, smiling and cheering down their thanks to us. I chuckled as Aurora waved then jumped forwards, standing in the middle of us all before closing her eyes and holding out her paws.

The pinkish purple orb appeared and pulses of healing energy began to wash over us, shooting out in quick succession as she swallowed the entire island, helping to heal all the Pokémon that had damaged themselves and even I felt better, feeling stronger as I too was hit with the beams.

Everything was now back to normal, with the Pokémon safe and a new discovery made with these ruins, I couldn't wait to hear all about them when Carolina gets here. "Ruby." Riley said to me and I turned to look at him.

"Yes Riley?"

"I wanted to talk to you about…"

"Ruby my dear! I'm so glad that you're safe." Barry declared as he leaped forwards and grabbed my hands in his, swinging me around and I yelped as I almost lost my footing but then Barry pulled me close. "Being so close to death only made me realise more how alive we are! We shouldn't waste a single moment of it, so my little sweet cake, how about you and I go to dinner and-YOW!"

"Sorry, but I'm already booked." I answered, waving my hand with nervous laughter as Croagunk took down Barry for me and I gave him a wink, which made him blush slightly. "Sorry Riley, you were saying?" Riley blinked, looking from Croagunk to Barry before clearing his throat.

"Right. I was going to say that you seem to be a lot stronger than I initially realised. Stronger than me for sure." He explained as I listened to him. Barry got up and dusted himself off, frowning at me slightly.

"Wait, you're an aura guardian?" He questioned and I nodded my head, making him grin. "That's so cool! My girlfriend is an aura guardian!" But Dawn grabbed his ear, dragging him back down with a glare.

"She is _not_ your girlfriend, Barry. Get over yourself." I chuckled as Barry gripped his ear and threatened to fine Dawn for manhandling him.

"Ruby, I would like to help you train." Riley said and I instantly looked at him, all laughter disappearing from my face. "You're strong, but there is still more that you can learn. We can help you train your Riolu and together, you can master your aura." Wow, that's a huge thing. "Of course, that means you will have to stay here with us and leave your friends for a while." Taking a step back I looked from Riley and Lucario to all my friends, who all smiled at me.

"That's awesome Ruby! You can master your aura!" Ash said, clenching his fist competitively as Brock nodded his head.

"I think it would be great for you to learn from someone with experience, and I think Aurora agrees." He laughed as Aurora jumped up and hugged Lucario again, making the others chuckle.

"But…what about you guys?" I questioned. "Ash, your gym battles…and Dawn your contests…I need to be there for you both."

"And you will." Dawn told me simply. "We know you'll be rooting for us no matter where you are. This is an amazing opportunity, you can't back down from it." I knew she was right, but I still wasn't too sure. I've been there for Dawn every step since we grouped together, what if she needs advice on her contest moves? And Ash? Who's going to stop him from making stupid mistakes in his gym battles?

"We'll be fine Ruby. You're always looking out for us, now it's time you did something for yourself." Ash informed me, reaching out and resting his hand on my shoulder. "We know your whole reason for coming to Sinnoh was to master your aura, now's your chance." I took a deep breath, nodding my head before flinging my arms around Ash's neck and hugging him tightly.

Brock stepped forwards and drew us into his arms and I placed one arm around him as Dawn joined the embrace too, the four of us standing together before I pulled back with a smile. "I'll train real hard, and I promise I'll be back before you know it. I'll be there at the Sinnoh Leagues, and I'll be at the Grand Festival too, no need to worry."

"And we'll work hard too, don't you worry." Dawn said to me with a smile. "Just promise you'll be careful?" I laughed.

"Me? Careful? I'm the very essence of caution! It's _him_ you have to worry about. Isn't that right genius?" I questioned and Ash rubbed the back of his head with a guilty laugh.

"Yeah." Pikachu leaped off his shoulder and into my arms, calling goodbye before we hugged one another.

"You look after him for me Pikachu." I whispered to him softly. "I know you can protect them from anything."

"Pika, Pikachu Pi." He nodded his head so I hugged him again before he jumped down and started to say goodbye to all my Pokémon. Ash called out Chimchar and I immediately picked him up into my arms and hugged him against me, smiling into his fur.

"You'll be alright with Ash on your own now, won't you? You don't really need me anymore." I murmured to him as we pulled back from one another. Chimchar looked at me with soft eyes, brimming with emotion and warmth as he reached up and pressed one hand against my face in a motion of tenderness. "You'll grow stronger and stronger with each day not because of any special training or magical miracle that might occur, you'll grow stronger because you'll grow to love more and more each moment you spend with those that care about you. Ash loves you very much, Chimchar, so remember next time you battle to harness that love that you guys all feel for one another. That is the essence of true power and especially for a fire type." Smiling I glanced over to Charizard. "I should know, together, Charizard and I make a pretty badass team."

"Chimchar..." He embraced me one last time, unwilling to let me go but at the same time, I knew he was ready to focus completely on growing stronger with Ash, though he promised me that we'd still be together, that he still wanted me to be my trainer too so we made a vow together that we'd learn to grow invincible as a team. Letting him down, I watched as he jumped back over to Ash before I turned to the rest of my Pokemon.

"Well, guess that means we're staying here." I said to them all and they chorused with a cheer of excitement, knowing that meant some serious training. Suddenly I had a hand on my shoulder and an arm around my back, making me stiffen as Barry spread his hand up to the sky.

"And we'll be spending some quality time together, my dear Ruby." Charizard growled then slapped his tail on the ground, causing it to tremble slightly and Barry yelped, leaping away from me in fear. "Okay! Okay I've let go! Just please don't eat me…" He whimpered and I chuckled, patting Charizard's stomach as everyone laughed at Barry's expense. I was sad to see them go, but I knew it was only temporary. I'll be seeing them again soon, and hopefully winning the final rounds of their competitions.


	44. Chapter 44

Sitting on a rock high up the mountain I watched the sunset, one leg dangling over the side as I watched the glittering waves. Aurora was practicing her moves behind me, trying to perfect them whilst I sat and thought to myself.

When she stopped and gave a questioning sound I turned and smiled. "I'm fine. I was just thinking." She walked forwards and stood at my side, joining me as I watched the sunset. "I hope the gang is okay."

There was the sound of clinking pebbles and I looked to see Barry trying to pull himself up the mountain, dangling over the edge of the rock I was sitting on, struggling to pull himself up. "Uh…little help?" He requested so I chuckled and walked over, grabbing his hand and hauled him up as he took a deep breath. "Wow. How'd you even get up here?" He questioned, looking down over the edge of the steep ascent. "I mean…that was tough."

"I jumped." I informed him before going back to the jutting edge of the rock and looked out over the sunset. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just you weren't at the Pokémon Centre and it's getting late, so I figured I'd come out and find you, see if you needed rescuing." He answered, flexing his arms casually in an attempt to look appealing but I merely continued to watch the sunset. "So…what are you doing up here?"

"I always watch the sunset." I told him quietly, admiring the beautiful colours. "It's my favourite time of day."

"Oh right." He said as he came to my side and looked at it with me for a moment before his face fell, unimpressed. "Don't you get bored? I mean, when you've seen one sunset you've seen them all."

"No." I shook my head simply. "It's never the same."

"Right." He shrugged, folding his arms. We were silent for a moment, me watching the sunset and Barry looking around him with feigned interest.

"Barry?"

"Yes pumpkin?" He questioned, glad to have a reason to break the silence.

"Tell me why you're so interested in me." I requested and he blinked at me in surprise.

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently so I shot him a look and he blushed slightly, fiddling with his wrists nervously. "Well you see…uh….you're really pretty and…well um…" He sighed finally, looking down at his shoes. "Because Paul seemed to think you're a worthy rival and that you're worth the attention." I arched an eyebrow, none the wiser even after his explanation. "You remember I said I watched the tag battle?"

"Once or twice, yes." I drawled and he swallowed.

"Yeah uh, well I noticed how he seemed to pay special attention to you all the way through, and I even saw on the news how you had saved his life after falling into a canyon. When they finally got a private interview, he admitted how grateful he was and he talked about you that made me see just how much he…cared about you." He has to be joking. Obviously reading my thoughts through my expression, he grabbed my hand. "Come on, I'll prove it to you!"

He stepped towards the edge of the rocks but as his excitement led him to almost fall over the edge, I switched the grips so that I was holding his wrist and tugged him back. "How about we take the safe route down?" I suggested, gesturing to the other side of the rock where a sloping path led us down back to the ground.

"What?! There was an easier way up?!" Barry yelled in disbelief and I laughed.

"I'm impressed you even made it up here with the route you took." I informed him as I took the lead. "Riley says very few can even make it halfway before they fall and hurt themselves, breaking a bone or two." I was teasing him, but I couldn't help but chuckle as Barry's face went as white as snow.

I helped him climb down the mountain and together we walked back to the Pokémon Centre where he then booted up a computer and started to look for the videos. "Okay, watch this clip closely, it's where you're all finding your partners." He instructed so I drew up a chair and sat down, Aurora settling on my shoulder.

There was a mass of people standing in the stadium, gradually finding their pairs. I saw Conway and Dawn find one another as well as Brock and his partner. I noticed Ash and Paul, their icy greeting making me shiver slightly. I continued to watch as the camera caught the entire exchange, even when Elekid hit Pikachu with static and I came running in. "There! Watch Paul." So did. His eyes widened upon my entry but quickly snapped back to his usual scowl, however his eyes fixed on me as Ash fused over Pikachu.

Even after he had turned away, I noticed he glanced back over his shoulder, watching as I faced the stage where the ring of the Soothe Bell could be heard. The screen then quickly cut to focus on the twin bells, one of which I still had in my backpack. "You see? He totally only had eyes for you. Now watch some of these." I began to be enlightened, seeing all the videos of Paul's battles and was surprised by how many times he would glance over his shoulder towards where Dawn and I stood.

"Maybe he's looking at Dawn." I argued. "I mean, she does draw in a lot of attention from guys around her. You should have seen how they swooned at Professor Rowan's Pokémon camp." I noted but Barry shook his head.

"Nah, Paul wouldn't be looking at her. He has good tastes." He assured me and I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Why are you so obsessed with Paul?"

"Because he's so strong! He totally dominates and I want to be that great someday. Okay if that doesn't convince you, then take a look at this." Smirking slightly he brought up a new video clip so I turned to watch it.

There were flashing lights and I recognised the hospital where Paul and I had recovered from our little adventure in the wilderness. The press were gathered all around Paul, calling out to him and he stopped with his usual scowling glare. "Paul! How are you feeling? Are you completely recovered from your accident?" A female's voice interrogated and he nodded his head.

"I'm fine." He answered a little coldly but they weren't put off.

"They say you managed to escape the river, which very few have done before, but then faced danger with the area you were in after the storm and the water level's rising. Were you scared?"

"No, I was not." Paul clenched his jaw tightly and I smirked a little. That's the Paul I know.

"Of course you weren't, because according to our resources, you were unconscious almost the entire time and were repeatedly rescued by some girl." A stern faced woman said, leaning out to thrust her microphone at his face but he quickly shoved it aside.

"She's not just 'some girl'!" He snapped back sharply and I blinked in surprise. Paul seemed to recognise his mistake as now he had a million more questions being shouted at him.

"Who is she then? What is your relationship to her?"

"Did you develop feelings for Ruby Bates after she rescued you from the river or when she carried you away from the storm?"

"Are you likely to ever start dating?"

"Tell us about how you two met!" Paul, swiftly growing agitated tried to answer a few.

"Her name is Ruby, I first met her helping to save a Pokémon being stolen from a friend when she flew in on her Charizard. We are _not_ friends, but we're not enemies. I consider her a rival, and a great opponent as she is very strong and her Pokémon are all well trained. We've met from time to time since then and every time she seems to grow stronger and better each time. I'm grateful that we met and I'm indebted to her for rescuing me." He explained simply. "That's all." The same stern faced woman smirked and again stepped out in front.

"But you haven't answered any questions about how you feel about her. Please, enlighten us. Are you in love with her?" Paul did not answer, merely glared at her and then looked away before Officer Jenny came on screen and began to help Paul escape, though the press didn't seem to want to let their headliner get away. I knew that canyon was dangerous and whenever there was an accident involving it, it always reached front page news of the local newspaper, but it seems our little accident reached the national news. Oops.

"You see? He totally has feelings for you." Barry told me proudly, lifting his head and folding his arms. "And if Paul likes you, then I do too."

"Gee thanks Barry. I'm flattered." I told him with a roll of my eyes as I stood. "But I'm not convinced. That's just like Paul. He's a little sensitive to people demanding to know about what he's thinking and how he's feeling. I accidentally touched that sore spot once and I didn't ask again." Barry gripped his head in frustration.

"But it's totally obvious!" Shaking my head no I picked up Aurora and looked outside to the darkening sky.

"It's late. I'm going to get some sleep, goodnight Barry. See you tomorrow." I said, bowing my head slightly before heading upstairs to the single room I had rented for the while I would be staying here. I didn't get much sleep that night, so when Riley came knocking the next morning, I groaned. "There's no one here." I heard him chuckle.

"Bad night? Very well. I understand if you do not want to train this morning, though Lucario and I are both ready for you." I hate it when people pull reverse psychology.

"Okay fine, I'll be up in two minutes." I called back then sighed. Getting up I dressed, splashed my face with cold water, brushed back my hair into a plait then put my hat into my backpack, knowing that for this kind of training, I would need to be able to see all around me and concentrate, whilst the hat didn't really help much.

Lucario and Riley stood outside our door and Aurora walked with me, though today Shieldon was out of his Pokéball too, ready for some practice with his Thunderbolt. "Okay, we're ready." I announced, but I soon wished I had elected to have that lie in.

Riley had us run around the island and whenever a Pokémon appeared, not only did my Pokémon have to battle them, but _I_ did too. Those Steelix can pack a mean punch, I'll tell you that. It was all about making yourself tougher and firm like steel. If I was going to fully master my aura, I had to master my body first. When I questioned why I was struggling to form an aura sphere when I had managed it once before, Riley explained it to me.

"Aura Sphere is a very advanced move. Like forming a shield, you have to push your aura outward, but concentrate it in the palm of your hand." He said as Lucario demonstrated. "It takes intense concentration, but I'm confident you will master it soon enough. I expect you were able to form it before because you were in a life threatening situation, and you let go of your physical mind for a brief moment to allow your instincts to take over." Nodding my head, I turned back to my training.

All my Pokémon trained with me. Hey, I'm not about to go through this back breaking regime and not have them share a taste of the pain. We fought side by side, attacking rocks, making giant leaps, climbing the mountain and all kinds of crazy workouts. I banned Charizard from flying, telling him he needed to work on his leg muscles so he had swat me with his tail grumpily, flattening me against a rock before I dropped down to the ground. That had hurt.

However as the days went passed, I found things became easier and easier. I could climb the mountain no problem and my Pokémon started to take down these powerful steel and rock types in just one hit. Though Shieldon still struggled to control his Thunderbolt, we practiced rigorously with it every day and he seemed to have a better grip on it now than he had before.

It was most fun when I trained against Riley and Lucario. Lucario was battle training, so hand to hand combat but with Riley, it was focusing on the aura. He helped me to sharpen my senses, to look for things beyond the boundaries of my vision until I could see further than the island, using my aura as a kind of beacon.

My shield became stronger, able to withstand any impact now and I was even starting to manage to form a small orb as an aura sphere before I lost control and it would disappear. I battled with Barry too and I was seriously impressed with his team. His Empoleon even defeated Charizard a few times, with that Hydro Cannon causing serious damage so Charizard started to train in the water, trying to build up a resistance to it and I helped him, teaching him how to use his inner flames as a guard against water and also taught all my Pokémon to focus their own energies and aura to help strengthen themselves.

It took a long time, but we were starting to shape into an undefeatable team. After a few weeks, Barry couldn't even knock out a single one of my Pokémon, which drove him crazy. "Why are you so strong?!" He yelled in frustration as I stood with Charizard and Leafeon after he returned his Staraptor and Empoleon. "I had the advantage over both of your Pokémon!"

"You made the mistake of thinking type advantage was all you needed." I explained to him. "Battling is much more than what type of Pokémon you use, it's about utilising their strengths and manipulating moves to help defend them also. Like Ash's Counter Shield." Barry sighed and lowered his head.

"Okay, I'll train some more." I helped Barry train too, as it wasn't fair to keep all of my learning to myself. I helped develop his Pokémon's full potentials, for example Staraptor's speed. I taught Barry and his flying type how to use Brave Bird and even taught Roserade how to use Petal Dance, as the only move Barry seemed to like to use was Poison Jab.

Once again I found myself watching the sunset, with Leafeon, Shieldon and Aurora sleeping peacefully together, huddled close and I glanced back at them with a soft smile before turning back to the sunset.

I found myself thinking of Dawn, Ash and Brock. They left me emails and we even called one another when we managed to catch each other both at a Pokémon centre. The burnt golden colours of the sunset began to sink with the deep crimson red sun as it disappeared under its water horizon so I inhaled a deep breath and closed my eyes, clearing my mind to relax.

It wasn't long before I sensed Riley and Lucario climbing up the path to join us so I opened my eyes as Riley came and sat down beside me. "You seem troubled, Ruby, is everything alright?" He asked and I nodded my head.

"Barry left today to get some more badges. I'd kind of grown used to his company." I said with a small shrug as Lucario sat down on my other side with a soft grunt of greeting. "Riley, what are aura guardians meant for?" I questioned and he chuckled.

"That's a good question, and unfortunately I don't know the answer for sure myself. Our gifts are special and they are a force for good, however with such gifts it is hard to decide which cause to use them for." Inhaling deeply he then let out his breath, allowing the salty air to relax him. "I believe that we must find the answer to that question on our own, decide for ourselves which path to take." He informed me and I sensed Aurora's ear twitch, listening to him. "We all have freedom to make our own choices, however being different and more powerful than other humans, it's obvious that we were meant to keep the peace, help humans and Pokémon alike to be the best that they can be no matter what they are like inside."

Turning my head to look back over the ocean I sighed softly, lowering my head and closing my eyes as I stood up tall, feeling the breeze grace through the loose locks of my hair like gentle fingers combing through, brushing against my face as I let Riley's words sink in deep. "Do…do you really think that I can become something great one day? Something that'll make a difference in this world?" I asked and Riley stood up also with Lucario, both of whom rested a hand or a paw on my shoulder.

"That's up to you, Ruby. It all depends on how hard you work and how much you want to make a difference. No one ever accomplished anything by doing nothing, so all you can do is try." Slowly my lips curved into a smile and I nodded my head, opening my eyes finally as I felt Leafeon rub his head against my leg. I opened up my arms and he jumped into them as Aurora and Shieldon both walked over to me, standing close as I received their smile with a loving warmth.

"Well, whatever happens, I'll never be alone." I said with a smile, hugging Leafeon close as he licked my cheek affectionately then beamed happily. "Not with all my Pokémon by my side." Riley nodded his head approvingly before taking a step back.

"We'll train some more tomorrow. For now you should all get some rest. It's been a long day." Agreeing with him as I yawned, I turned and carried my three Pokémon back down to the Pokémon centre before letting them down to the ground again and they walked at my side as people began to head to their rooms.

I went to the video phones where Nurse Joy had called over saying I had a call waiting so I picked it up and was instantly met with Dawn. "Hey! It's been a few days since we last talked, how are you?" I questioned with a smile, sitting down as Aurora leaped onto my shoulder and called out a greeting which Piplup returned cheerfully.

"It's going great! You see, so much has happened in such a short amount of time. I won my fourth ribbon!"

"That's great! Congratulations, I knew you could do it." That's when Dawn's face dropped a little.

"There was also this Pokémon ping pong contest, both Ash and I entered and I got all the way to the semi-finals where I battled against the champion with Ambipom." Dawn explained and my smile grew further. "But you see, Ambipom loved the ping pong so much that…well…she decided to go with O, the ping pong champion." Dawn lowered her head and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself together. "But no need to worry! So long as Ambipom is happy, then so am I!"

"That's great Dawn, really. It takes a lot to let go of a Pokémon that you really care for and have worked so hard to raise, so it's natural to feel a little upset when you say goodbye, but you seem to be handling yourself very maturely, so I'm proud of you." I said and Dawn gave me her bright smile to reassure me. "So what else happened?"

"Ash got his seventh badge against Candice at Snowpoint gym, and there was this huge mess with Hunter J and a Reggigigas!" Dawn began before diving into detail, telling me all about how Hunter J had awoken the slumbering Pokémon but then Brandon the Pyramid King of the Kanto Battle Frontier was able to save us all with all their help. I was a little shocked then bummed out that I'd missed all the action. I then learned how Staravia had evolved into Staraptor against Paul's Honchkrow in a Pokéringer competition, and then later how Chimchar had evolved into Monferno against Paul again in a full six on six battle.

It then went on to Dawn talking about her hometown festival where she'd battled her mom and Ash had won that battling competition but didn't beat Barry's dad, who was also a frontier brain based in Sinnoh. After that Dawn then introduced me to her newest Pokémon, an adorable little Cyndaquil who was a little shy at first before opening up after some warm greetings from myself and all my Pokémon. "Isn't it cute? I can't wait to start using Cyndaquil in contests!" Dawn said excitedly but then a face but into the screen with a slightly indignant huff.

"Piplup Pip! Pi Piplup!" Piplup said, pushing Cyndaquil out the way to say hello and the two instantly began to battle for the seat on Dawn's lap, making her cry out in alarm before she angrily separated them.

"Will you two just quit it?!" She demanded to know as Brock approached.

"Hey it's Ruby, hi there!" He greeted with a smile as Dawn ran off after her quarrelling Pokémon and I chuckled at her expense. "How's the training going?"

"It's going great. Riley's a great teacher and we're all getting very strong. Right guys?" I questioned and all my Pokémon all cheered and nodded their heads. "I hear Chimchar evolved into Monferno, is that true? Ash really had a full battle against Paul?"

"Yeah. He was a little put out when he lost, even though Monferno fought real hard but he got over it pretty fast. He's already psyched up for his next gym battle." He said as he looked over his shoulder to reveal Ash standing behind him talking to Pikachu with that determined expression on his face, making me laugh.

"Same old Ash I see. Good to see some things never change." It was only then that Ash noticed my face on the screen and he instantly came running over with Pikachu on his shoulder, both of them grinning as Pikachu took the seat with a bright smile up at me.

"Pikachu Pi!" He greeted with a wave and I grinned back at him as Ash waved.

"It's Ruby! Hey Ruby! You're missing all the action over here, when're you coming back?" He demanded to know, practically falling over himself as he crashed against the seat and I laughed again with a roll of my eyes as Dawn returned, putting two Pokéballs away so I guess she'd put both Cyndaquil and Piplup on a time out.

"Soon genius, don't you worry. Just make sure you keep on working hard and don't lose your focus." I told him as he pulled himself together and clenched a fist as Pikachu flipped back onto his shoulder with a similar determined expression that he seemed to have picked up from his trainer.

"Don't you worry, that badge is as good as mine, they may as well just give it to me!" He declared and I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head, smiling all the same.

"Well you take care all of you, I'll be catching up with you real soon but for now, I think it's time I got some sleep. All this aura training sure takes it out of you. I'm beat." I said, yawning with a stretch and the gang all chuckled with understanding as my Pokémon all yawned too.

"You get some sleep, we'll call again soon, okay?" Brock said before Dawn and Ash both waved, Pikachu calling out with them.

"Goodnight!"

"Goodnight guys, I miss you." I said before hanging up the call. I sat back for a moment, thinking. Dawn's almost got her final ribbon and Ash is only one badge away from the Sinnoh league. Looks like they've both grown up a lot since starting their journey's in Sinnoh. Come to think of it, my Pokémon and I have grown a lot too. I've never felt so strong or so in tune with myself. It's kind of amazing, however I know the road is far from over. There's still so much to do and so much to learn that I almost don't know where to start.

However for now, I'll just settle for a good night's rest.


	45. Chapter 45

I was meditating on my own up on a high peak of Iron Island when I heard a distant call. It brought my attention to the far distance, where three tiny voices seemed to be trying to reach out to me. Then without warning, I felt the pain. It was like a sharp stinging headache, making me flinch and gasp aloud but then I controlled it, seeing Ash's face flash before my closed eyes alongside a mysterious figure of a Pokémon that I realised was Azelf. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Pushing out my aura I allowed myself to reach across the ocean and land, honing on the distress call and it started to ache in my chest the further I pushed, but I forced myself to continue. I had to see what was going on.

Suddenly with a rush I found myself standing at a lark lake with a strange body of water movement at its centre, glowing with light as I inhaled sharply, looking around at my unfamiliar surroundings. A large shadow swept over my vision and I saw a Salamance soaring through the sky, carrying a familiar figure on its back and I growled with rage as I saw the small statue of Azelf being held in a dome container. _"Hunter J! You won't take Azelf, I won't let you!"_ I yelled though my lips never moved, my voice merely echoing like a cry on the wind.

"Ruby?" A startled voice said and I whirled around, staring in shock at Gary who was looking around him, obviously having heard my voice but he couldn't see me.

 _"Gary?!_ " I echoed before shaking my head, seeing that Team Galactic were standing behind him, keeping his Umbreon and Electivire busy from helping Azelf. _"Team Galactic! I should have known you'd be behind this. You wait until I get there physically, I'm gonna give you all a butt kicking like you've never had before!"_ I threatened but Saturn only blinked in surprise and looked around him in confusion, his Toxicroak crouched before him.

"I heard that meddlesome girl, go find her. Make sure she does not interfere." He ordered and his men all saluted before moving off to search the area. He then turned to Gary who had brushed aside the confusion at hearing my voice and now stood facing the Galactic commander. "Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse." He ordered and the attack made contact with Umbreon, doing considerable damage despite the typing having little advantage.

"Umbreon no!" Gary cried as I whirled around to face the lake where two knew figures had appeared. Uxie and Mesprit. All three lake guardians, real legends…and I'm looking right at them! Wait, snap out of it Ruby, now's not the time!

Hunter J was circling around them, using the Golbat from Team Galactic to distract them before she captured Mesprit first after the two guardians had used Future Sight at the same time. If only I could do something…but what? How am I even here? I look like a glowing blue spirit myself, so perhaps it's just my aura that's here, seeing things through the guardians' will. Can I still use my powers?

Taking a stance I held my palms outward from me and tried to form an aura sphere, however my attack only made itself into a small ball before it depleted, sizzling out uselessly so I groaned. Useless. What can I do? "Uxie!" I heard the light but fearful cry as the last guardian was struck, taken down by Hunter J's accurate aim.

 _"No!"_ I yelled and the rage surged through me but it came out in only a small puff of wind, unable to harness this new territory. I could only stand there, completely useless as Hunter J passed the lake guardians over to Saturn in exchange for money and Gary kept out of it, his Pokémon both exhausted and unable to battle further. This is not good, what can I do?! _"You won't get away with this, Team Galactic. You wait till I get my hands on you, you'll be sorry you ever started messing with the balance of nature!"_ I told them forcibly but they only ignored me, seemingly unable to hear save for Gary who called out my name and tried to find me, however those crooks failing to even being able to notice my presence only made me even madder and this time, the burst that surged away from my body was a little stronger, giving me hope.

I stood there, yelling and slicing out my hands, trying to strengthen my aura blast but Hunter J took off in her jet as the lake guardians were loaded onto a Team Galactic vessel. Suddenly there was a gathering of storm clouds and twin bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, ploughing straight through the ship and it instantly began to plummet towards the dimension shift that swirled in the water.

With a gasp I stood there, frozen in place as the ship began to fall from the sky, sinking lower and lower and aimed straight for the lake's surface. If that ship goes under, I seriously doubt it'll be coming back up…but what about the lake guardians? I can't let Team Galactic get away with them!

However in a split second decision, I whirled around back to the water's face and held out my hands, summoning all my energy and forced my aura to channel through from my body back in Iron Island to this outlet I seemed to have managed to create here at Lake Acuity. The lake guardians were important, but as much as I hate to admit it, so were the lives of hundreds of people on that ship.

A rush of energy flooded through me and my head went into a tailspin as a bubble formed around the ship after it had hit the water and sunk below. I could feel the panic of everyone inside as the glass had started to crack, but I pushed the water out to keep them safely locked inside.

It was then a battle against the current, clenching my eyes tightly shut as I fought against the whirlpool that surrounded the dimension tear, threatening to suck the airship in but the moment I was able to pull my aura shield out from the water and into the open air, I felt a huge weight collapse off my shoulders and I sighed with relief as I then began to guide the ship back to land, the Galactic aircraft having already fled.

"Ruby, this is you isn't it? So where are you?" Gary questioned in awe, staring at the ship as I continued to support it, feeling the straight run up my arms like wildfire, causing every muscle to scream. The moment the ship was over dry land, I released my hold over it and it crashed down the last few feet, causing a slight tremor in the earth but by then, Officer Jenny had arrived with backup, already prepared to arrest Hunter J after the call had been put in.

Instantly I sought out Hunter J's aura and although I found it repulsive and disgusting, I locked onto it and took a hold. She gasped with wide eyes as her body glowed with an outline of blue, my aura forcing its will on hers and her hands slapped together behind her back as she was then made to exit her ship, though she was very angry about this. "This is you, isn't it little aura girl?! I'll get you for this. This is all your doing! When I get out of this mess, you're going to forever be looking over your shoulder, because I'll be there, ready to strike when you least expect it!" She yelled as Jenny handcuffed her, relieved her off all her gadgets and Pokémon and I didn't let go of my influence over her until she was safely locked away in a high security prisoner van, alongside her lieutenants though many of her henchmen were now trying to escape.

With a deep breath, I felt the searing heat race through my mind as I hunched down and planted my hands on the ground, struggling to remain upright. "Rubes? Rubes where are you? Come out!"

 _"I can't Gary, I'm not here."_ Answering him between breaths, I slowly managed to stand up. _"I'm going after Team Galactic, you'd better get Umbreon and Electivire some rest. They've earned it."_ With a smile I slipped up close to Gary and touched his face wondering if he would sense me then. He did make a start, but gave no further indication that he could see or sense me, so I gave a little smile as he frowned in confusion.

"Then…how're you doing that?"

 _"I'll explain later."_ I promised him before closing my eyes and trying to lock onto Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit again. It didn't take long. In fact, I located them at Mt Coronet where an overwhelming power began to make the earth tremble, causing my heart to shudder in my chest as lightning flashed overhead.

I was again shocked to find Ash, Brock and Dawn's auras all combined within the mountain, where Team Galactic were gathered ready to capture Palkia and Dialga, the legends of time and space. Raw static singed the air and it made my aura crackle slightly as the interference began to grow stronger and I found it harder and harder to get close, unable to reach the centre point where all this energy was overflowing from, though when I heard two unearthly and spine tingling roars, I knew that the worst had come to be.

Dialga and Palkia were awake.

And they were _furious_.

Their rage were like two kindles against one fire, exploding into massive heat and disruption which caused a great stir in the balance of nature which I could feel deep within, causing my aura to shiver slightly as I struggled to match the strength and keep a grip on my focus, not allowing myself to lose it. If Ash and the others were in there, then they needed me.

Suddenly there was a drop in energy and I was able to slip through, my aura forming into a body before finally I opened my eyes and I was surrounded by confusion. The three lake guardians had been freed by Ash and the others, who held them in their arms as they faced Team Galactic, who was being led by none other than Cyrus. I knew he was a creep right from the start!

 _"Guys!"_ I called out and instantly Ash's head snapped up as Brock and Dawn blinked in confusion.

"Ruby! Ruby where are you?"

 _"Right beside you Ash, I'm with you all the way."_ I told him as I leaped back to stand with him and the others.

"That's Ruby's voice…how can we hear her?" Dawn whispered before shaking her head. "Now's not the time, answer that later." I shot her a smile as Ash returned Gliscor and Staraptor, turning to face Cyrus with a hard expression.

"So what do you think of that?" He demanded to know as Cynthia spoke up from behind Cyrus and his three commanders, her Garchomp standing at her side.

"You no longer have the power to control Dialga and Palkia." She informed Cyrus who merely gave her a dark look.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." He answered, making us all gasp before we turned to see the shadowy figures of the two creating beasts with a red chain trapped around them. Suddenly the figures grew brighter and jerked violently before finally taking shape.

My mouth dropped open in awe as the two legendary Pokémon struggled, trapped by their bonds however they couldn't free themselves at all. "Dialga no!" Ash cried out as we all stood together, staring up at these two legendary Pokémon.

"Poor Palkia…"

"It's impossible to break free from the red chain made from the original power." Saturn said as we heard the pain stricken cries of both Palkia and Dialga. Their eyes started to glow bright red like the gem on Cyrus's glove, signalling they were now completely under his power.

"What's happening to them?!" Dawn squeaked as we stared in horror at the events that were now unfurling before us.

"It has to be those rings. The red chain contains the original powers and its controlling Dialga and Palkia." Cynthia realised as the two legendary Pokémon continued to writhe with significant pain and agony. The three lake guardians floated out of the gang's arms, turning to face them before calling out in unison, a bright light glowing around them as I heard their thoughts connect with each Ash, Dawn and Brock, causing them to start in shock.

"It's so warm!" Dawn gasped as I stood beside her in aura form, keeping quiet as I felt their pure minds connect with all of ours.

"They must be willing this to happen." Brock murmured softly as Ash's eyes widened.

"They're asking us to help save Dialga and Palkia!" Ash said as Dawn rested her hand against her heart, closing her eyes as she smiled.

"Wow, I can hear them too! I can really hear them Cynthia!" She called out as Cynthia smiled warmly.

"Your hearts have become one with the legendary Pokémon, and it's really a wonderful thing." She said but then Cyrus called up to the two beasts, spreading his hands out as his voice began to ring out.

"Dialga, ruler of time, and Palkia ruler of space! Release your powers now and create the new universe before me!" Both beasts yelled aloud before directing their powers straight down before they connected together and began to form a portal.

 _"Everyone out of the way!"_ I yelled and everyone darted out of the path of the portal, keeping well back.

"My new world is being born right before my very eyes!" Cyrus yelled as mysterious lights began to appear before our very eyes. "I am the one who is finally going to bring order to this chaos." He declared as his commander Mars nodded her head.

"Yes Cyrus sir."

"I won't let you!" Ash yelled back defiantly as I gripped my fists and growled under my breath.

"Aim for the chain Ash, we can release Dialga and Palkia from them!" Cynthia called out wisely. "We may be able to stop the creation of the new world."

"In that case Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"

"Croagunk use Poison Sting!" Brock directed as I clapped my hands together over my head then lowered them down towards my stomach, concentrating on gathering all the aura energy I could, taking a deep breath as my stomach muscles started to tense before the strain started to ease as a sphere formed in my hands, growing in size before alongside everyone else's attacks, I thrust out my hands and suddenly a stream of aura spheres began to power towards the two legendary beasts.

"Dialga use Roar of Time and Palkia use Spacial Rend!" Cyrus ordered and both legendary Pokémon launched their attacks. My aura spheres connected against Dialga's Roar of Time, alongside all our other Pokémon's attacks.

The powerful attack powered through ours and head straight for the gang, however the three lake guardians all shot forwards and used Protect around us all, keeping us from getting hit with a move that could have potentially killed us. "We're okay!"

"You did that for us?" Dawn questioned softly with a smile as Brock nodded his head respectfully.

"Thanks you three." He said before they turned around to give a smile at them.

"Oh please Cyrus sir, let's go to our new world right away!" Mars requested excitedly but then both Dialga and Palkia both turned and roared at Mars and Saturn, causing them to flinch back in fear as Cyrus stood there calmly then glanced back towards them.

"I have no more need for you. Your very existence will poison my new world. This world belongs to me alone! You could never understand what it truly means!" He yelled as he beheld the creation of his new world.

"Let's attack those rings one more time." Cynthia encouraged us so we all turned and launched our attacks. This time it didn't take as long for me to form a sphere and I sent the stream of attacks towards Dialga, trying to help free him.

Suddenly both rings collapsed, bursting into oblivion to release both creation Pokémon, allowing them to drop to the ground though they cried out as the residue of control still resided within them. The portal started to shrink, its stability breaking. "It's vanishing now. I guess that's the end of that." The Galactic scientist said despondently.

"This is my perfect world, governed by order that does not require heart…or conscience." Cyrus murmured as he walked towards his portal, completely entranced by this creation despite Ash yelling for him to stop. I watched in silence as Cyrus drifted into his new world beyond our reach, the last that we heard of him was the manic cry. "It's mine…mine alone!"

"Cyrus sir?" Mars gasped before throwing back her head. "NOOO!" She tried to go after her leader, however Saturn wisely grabbed her wrist and held her back with a silent shake of his head. The portal rose up into the air, slowly disappearing from sight before there was a single orb of light which then disappeared altogether.

"Do you…think everything will be back to normal now?" Dawn questioned but then Piplup cried out in warning and we all looked to see Dialga and Palkia rise, roaring in pained rage as they attacked everything that was around them, causing the dimension around us to change into a dark red and black shadowy cloak. "Dialga! Palkia! Please stop!" She cried out as everyone grabbed onto their Pokémon and one of the lake guardians.

"Is everyone alright?" Cynthia questioned as she made her way over to the others and they nodded their heads. "I'm certain Dialga and Palkia haven't broken free yet, if we aren't able to stabilise them soon then I fear that that energy mass will expand and engulf all of Sinnoh." Suddenly the lake spirits all gathered before Ash, Dawn and Brock, focusing in on me as well as their voices called out in unison as tiny whispers, sweet and soothing to the mind. "They're communicating with you, aren't they?" The champion questioned and Ash nodded his head in answer.

"Yeah, we can hear them alright."

"Combine our hearts as one." Dawn said as they all closed their eyes.

"And please save Dialga and Palkia." Brock finished before they all opened their eyes and looked at one another.

"Let's do it! Ruby, if you're here, then get ready to help us out!" Ash yelled nowhere in particular but my voice answered him as I reached out to grip his shoulder.

 _"You can count on me Ash, I'm right here."_ We all ran closer to the source of all the panic and pain, where Ash stood and faced the swarming darkness with courage and fearlessness.

"Okay Azelf, do it!" Ash yelled and his lake guardian channelled its energy, glowing with a bright white light before shooting up into the abyss before an explosion sharpened every sense and sound, causing everyone to gasp as the twisted dimension around us fell away and Azelf landed back in Ash's arms as he smiled. "I gotcha." He assured the worn out lake guardian as I stood at its side, reaching out to rest my aura hand on its head and the guardian opened its eyes to then fix them directly on me, and I knew that it could see me.

"You can do it Uxie." Brock said confidently as he stood with his own lake guardian, who sang out as the gem on its head started to glow before a similar light shone outward towards the writhing beasts of creation. "Dialga, Palkia, the one who has tormented you is gone, please…calm down." Brock pleaded so I stepped forwards and clasped my hands together, bowing my head as my mind submerged with Uxie's. I felt the pain that Palkia and Dialga were feeling as well as their rage, however together Uxie and I released a wave of calming waves and my aura fixed on both Pokémon, encasing them in a glowing blue shell which instantly took away their suffering and they went quiet and still, hanging their heads to recover though sparks of dark purple energy still lay in residue around their bodies, surrounding my aura as well as I began to taste its bitter and rusty taste.

"Alright Mesprit, now it's our turn." Dawn said before closing her eyes and focusing on Mesprit, who glided forwards before turning around and singing out its name, a bright green light shooting out from around it and the dark energy began to disappear, allowing me to break my hold on Palkia and Dialga who were now perfectly calm, lifting their heads to roar in gratitude. "Great Mesprit, thank you!" Dawn said with overwhelmed relief as the lake guardians all flew up into the air and began to soar in a circle, creating another warp in space and time which Palkia and Dialga both disappeared into as I stood and watched alongside the others.

Once everything was over, there was a collective sigh of relief before there was laughter as the lake trio began to glide in front of Ash and the others, chanting out happily as we all smiled. "So Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit, why in the world did you choose us?" Ash questioned with a chuckle as Cynthia approached.

"It certainly seems obvious to me. Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit could sense how much you care about Pokémon. There's no doubt about it." She said. Suddenly the trio flew over to where I was standing invisibly then began to circle around me, making me laugh aloud and everyone's heads turned towards them.

"Hey, is that where Ruby is Azelf?" Ash questioned and Azelf nodded his head before touching a little hand to my glowing face, making me giggle again.

 _"You sure know how to keep the adventures coming Ash Ketchum, wait till your mother hears about this."_ I said with another laugh as Uxie looped the loop around my face.

"I still don't get it, how come we can hear you but you're not here?" Dawn questioned as I reached out and let Mesprit hold onto my hand as it inspected my fingers curiously.

 _"Because I'm transmitting my aura here and through my aura, you can hear my thoughts and I can see what's happening, so I was able to help."_ I explained. _"Though I should probably be getting back, this is starting to get a little too much for me to handle."_ Turning to the lake guardians I gave them all a smile. _"It was an honour meeting you Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit, I hope we'll meet again someday."_ Giving a final wave I closed my eyes and touched my knuckles together, taking a deep breath before letting my aura fly back to my body, where my eyes instantly snapped open to find myself looking out at a starlit night.

Aurora was looking at me with concern, probably having witnessed the entire thing so I took a deep breath then smiled. "Everything's fine. I'm just a little…shaky." I said as I tried to stand up but my knees buckled out underneath me and I crashed back to the ground as Aurora called out with worry and gripped my shoulder as my hand planted into the ground. "Ugh…let's not try that long distance transport thing again for a while, okay?" I suggested to Aurora who nodded her head in agreement, nuzzling my face with worry as I chuckled then called out Ponyta, who gladly galloped all the way back to the Pokémon Centre where I got to bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.


	46. Chapter 46

Making sure that everything was packed, I shouldered my bag and gave a nod to Aurora who sprang off the chair and onto my shoulder, catching a ride as I turned and exited the room I had been staying in these last few weeks.

Quietly and calmly I stopped in the middle of the Pokémon centre lobby, looking around at all the trainers of all ages with their Pokémon, all smiling and laughing as they took a break. Giving a quiet chuckle to myself I continued forwards.

The boat was already waiting at the dock so I head towards it to set sail for the mainland, however a voice called out to me. "You weren't thinking of leaving without saying goodbye now, were you?" Riley questioned and I stopped to smiled back over my shoulder as he and Lucario approached, walking side by side.

"Of course not. I knew you'd be hanging around." I answered, turning to face them as Aurora sprang off my shoulder with a cheer and leaped into Lucario's arms to embrace him, making both Riley and I laugh as Lucario gave an affectionate growl. "I want to thank you for all the training. I'll work hard to become as strong as I can be." I assured him, bowing my head respectfully as Riley returned the gesture.

"I know that you will. Just be careful out there, you don't know what kind of danger might be out there waiting for you." He informed me and I gave a laugh, clenching a confident and determined fist towards my face.

"Then bring it on, I'm not going down without a fight." Shaking his head with a soft sigh and smile, Riley reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before drawing me in for an embrace. I rested my head against his chest comfortably, feeling his arms wind around me as Lucario stood with Aurora. "I'll miss you Ruby. I hope our paths cross again someday." He said to me.

"Me too. You look after yourself now Riley, you too Lucario. Make sure you remind him to take it easy every once in a while." I said and Lucario nodded his head as I stepped away from Riley as the boat gave a deep blow of its horn, signalling it was time to board.

Aurora jumped onto my shoulder as I turned and ran up onto the deck then stood at the railings, leaning over to wave goodbye to Riley and Lucario with a wide smile as the ship as they both stood at the pier, returning my wave until finally, they were too small to see and I dropped my hand, giving a slow sigh.

With a small whine from Aurora, I shifted her around into my arms, resting her head against my neck as she curled into me. "It's okay Aurora, you'll see Lucario again, don't worry." I assured her as I turned and head towards the front of the ship. "But right now we've got to focus on helping out Officer Jenny. I got a call from her earlier all the way inland at headquarters, apparently they've been able to hack into Hunter J's computer system and found the log in entries of some of the Pokémon she's stolen over the years. We've been enlisted to help find them and bring them back to their rightful owners. It's a huge operation and Officer Jenny said that she wants us to help locate as many of the Pokémon as possible with aura." Aurora gave a determined noise so I nodded my head firmly and together we looked ahead to the direction we were heading, taking deep breaths as we prepared ourselves for the next step in our adventure.

The moment we arrived at the port, Officer Jenny and a squad of her men were already there waiting for us. "Ruby, it's good to see you again." Jenny said to me with a smile as I walked towards her, Aurora walking at my side. "It's been a long time since Veilstone City. I'm glad that we've finally been able to put a stop to Team Galactic's meddling." She said as I smiled and nodded my head.

"Me too. It was about time they were locked away." I agreed before letting her lead me over to a car where we road to headquarters. I was impressed with the building and everything that went on inside. Everything was neat, precise and structured, just as you'd expect it to be.

Officer Jenny gave me a quick tour before bringing me to the debrief room, which was basically a room with a long table filled with numerous Jenny's, officers and undercover agents, all turned in their seats to face a huge screen that took up an entire wall. I instantly felt out of place being among so many adults, but I shook off the feeling and allowed Officer Jenny to lead me to a seat where I sat down with Aurora in my lap as she then walked to the front of the screen.

"After the arrest of Pokémon Hunter J, we have been able to hack into her computer systems and retrieved various details of Pokémon that had been stolen over the years. We have the contract details, however we are not yet unable to uncover the locations of these clients." She began and everyone listened intently. "However, I've enlisted the help of this young trainer, Ruby Bates, and we should be able to get a better lock on the locations of those stolen Pokémon and clients." Turning to me I nodded my head and she gave a comforting wink. "Ruby, we've brought in a few victims at your request. They all reported Hunter J kidnapping their Pokémon and they're here to ask for your help."

"Of course." I said, standing up with a nod of my head. "Where are they?" Several people were brought in and I instantly turned to them. One was a little girl, holding her mother's hand and there was another much older gentleman who looked forlorn and grieving. There was also a young couple, and they all looked at me imploringly.

"Miss? Is it true? You can find my Fluffy for me?" The little girl asked as I blinked then walked over.

"I'll try, I can promise that." I told her with a smile, crouching down so that I was more her height. "So who is Fluffy?"

"My Growlithe, that mean lady froze him right in front of my eyes and took him away from me." She said with a sniff, tears rising to her eyes. "It was three years ago." Nodding my head I stood up and glanced around the other faces. "Okay, I'll need you all the think about the Pokémon that were stolen from you. Remember all the times you spent together and focus on that." Everyone nodded their heads and closed their eyes, looking back into their memories so I too closed my eyes and focused first on the little girl.

Her name was Hannah, she was eight years old and her family kept a Growlithe as a pet that she'd nicknamed Fluffy. Once I got a feeling for Fluffy's aura through Hannah, I moved onto the others. Pretty soon I had an accurate sense of all the missing Pokémon so I exhaled and opened my eyes. "Alright, I'll do my best." I said and they all looked at me with hopeful gazes.

I turned and walked towards the large window as the people were shown out and were reassured that if any news came then they would be notified immediately. So the hunt began, with hours of work pouring into one another. I would scour the region with my aura, practicing and developing my abilities and whenever I got a lock on one of the missing Pokémon, a team was put together to go and retrieve them and arrest the client.

When I found Fluffy, I couldn't think of a happier picture than the moment when I walked through the doors, carrying him in my arms as Hannah turned around then burst into tears with a huge smile as the Growlithe barked in recognition and leaped out of my arms.

With the recovery operation fully underway, I took the road with Aurora, searching as well for any signs of Pokémon or people who needed help. Officer Jenny kept in touch over the phone and through emails to keep me up to date with what was happening. Apparently it seemed Hunter J did business outside of Sinnoh as well, which meant that we would have to expand our search.

Standing upon the edge of a cliff with Aurora and Charizard, we both looked over a giant valley with distant mountains, watching as the sun dipped down lower and lower, turning the towers of a distant mansion into gold.

Charizard gave a soft growl, glaring at the place that had our full attention. "Easy." I soothed, reaching out and resting my hand against his side. "We have to wait." Charizard snorted, cracking his knuckles and I chuckled at his eagerness to go in there with blazing fire and brute force. "Aurora return, I don't want to risk you getting hurt." I said, holding out her Pokéball and she nodded her head before disappearing inside. "Charizard…stay close, okay?" I turned my face up to him and his soft brown eyes looked down at me before he smiled and lowered his head, rubbing his head against mine as I rested my hands against his snout, holding him close. "You've always been by my side, Charizard, through the thick and thin." I told him quietly, smiling as I rested my face against him. "And I couldn't be more glad that I chose you all that time ago back in Professor Oak's lab."

Charizard growled softly in agreement, snorting hot air around my neck and I giggled at the tickling sensation. A huge tongue darted out and slathered my face, making me laugh further as Charizard continued to smother me with affection.

Falling onto my back Charizard began to nuzzle his snout against my belly, tickling me further and I squealed as I wriggled, trying to escape but Charizard wouldn't let me, chuckling as he nudged me back down to the ground every time I managed to stand up. "Hey! No fair!" I protested, laughing again as finally I leaped to my feet and darted out of the way, ducking under Charizard then ploughed into him however my small body made no impact whatsoever and he remained standing upright, a smug look on his face. "Hey, I can't help being tiny!" I flung back with a smile before placing my hands on my hips. "Okay, okay, let's be serious now."

"Well what do you know, it's Rubes and her overgrown fire lizard." A voice announced from behind and I whirled around, eyes widening as a deep blush settled on my cheeks.

"Gary! What are you doing here?!" I demanded to know as he approached with his usual smirk on his face as he shrugged.

"Just passing through. Small world isn't it?" He questioned as he approached, getting closer and closer before finally he stopped and I had to tilt my hat back to look up into his eyes as he smiled softly down at me, reaching out with one hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. At that Charizard growled protectively, twitching as he stomped a foot, warning Gary to stay back but the idiot only laughed. "Okay, okay I get it, she's all yours." Gary said, lifting his hands in surrender as he took a small step back, allowing some distance between us. "There, happy?" Charizard snorted, folding his arms and lifted his head proudly. "So Rubes, how about a battle? You and I haven't really had a proper battle before, so how about one right now?" He suggested but I shook my head.

"I can't. Sorry Gary but I need all my Pokémon to be fighting fit." I explained, placing my hands on my hips as Gary frowned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Why? What's going on Rubes?" He peered at me closely. "What're you up to? I know that face, it means you're up to something." I gave a little smirk.

"Up to something? Now whatever gave you that idea?" I drawled before turning and pointing to the distant mansion. "I'm only going to be breaking into that top security building to locate some stolen Pokémon, that's all." I informed him and his jaw went slack.

"What?! What are you thinking? You planned on going in there… _alone_? Looks like I showed up just in time. At least now I'm around to rescue you again." That instantly sparked my anger. The jerk still thinks I need him to rescue me! Gah!

"I do _not_ need an egotistic jackass like you to save me! And I won't be alone, I have my Pokémon with me!" This only seemed to amuse Gary as he smirked further and arched an eyebrow at me.

"Oh really? And what will you do when all your Pokémon get overwhelmed by the security guards, shorty?" I growled darkly, clenching my fists.

"We'll be fine! At least I know when to keep my mouth shut, unlike you Gary Oak! At least _I_ have a plan, you'd probably just go storming in like and try using brute force like the bonehead you are." I returned smartly, sticking out my tongue as Gary's smirk grew.

"Oh yeah? Says who Muk breath?"

"I do! You're as helpful as a Magikarp. Why don't you just jump into a river and use Splash? At least then you won't be bothering me." I told him as I turned around and folded my arms indignantly, sensing his smirk grow wider as I struggled to keep my irritation under control.

"If I'm a Magikarp then you're a Slowpoke, because you're just as dopey and just as interesting." He drawled, instantly making me snap as I whirled around.

"You rude jerk! Take that back!"

"No way Koffing face, make me!"

" _I'm_ the Koffing? Fine! Then you're the two faced Weezing! Or maybe the three faced Exeggutor!" I flung back and Charizard blinked at us both, turning his head from left to right as the insults began to fly.

"Weedle mouth!"

"Drowzee nose!"

"At least _I_ don't look like a Jynx when I wake up in the mornings."

"Ugh! You're no ray of sunshine yourself, you know! You think you're so _irresistible_ , but you look like a Croagunk when it's been out in the sun for too long!" I shot back as Gary dropped his folded arms and leaned closer intensely.

"Well, you always look like a Shiftry who hasn't taken a bath in months!"

"AGH! I _hate_ you Gary-stupid-Oak!" Gripping my hair I pulled on it as I yelled up to the sky but then, without warning, there was a cough as someone cleared their throat and with a shameful blush, I turned to see none other than Paul standing there. Oh crud…

"Am I interrupting?" He questioned casually, his deep scowl still etched onto his features as his eyes flit over to Gary. I noticed an instant rise in tension between the two, Gary's face hardening slightly as he too frowned.

"Who're you?" He demanded to know, stepping forwards to partially shield me but I rolled my eyes and shoved him aside gently.

"Cool it airhead, this is Paul. He's…a friend." I decided finally but Charizard snorted in disbelief. "Hey, you can be quiet as well." I pointed at him warningly but Charizard only arched an eyebrow at me, giving me a look so I didn't argue further. Instead I turned to the guy who was standing in silence, glancing between us all. "Anyway, Paul, what're you doing here?"

"I was training when I heard raised voices." He explained simply, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. "Who's that?" Gary's eyes narrowed as Paul jerked his head towards him so I hastened to try and diffuse the situation.

"This is Gary Oak, Gary meet Paul." I said, stepping between them with a smile as the light began to grow increasingly dark. "Gary and I have known each other since kindergarten. We both come from Pallet Town you see." I told him but then Charizard gave a soft growl, drawing my attention to him as he snorted then turned his face up to the sky, which was becoming inky black with luminous stars folded into its depths. "Right. Let's go buddy." I nodded my head, becoming suddenly serious as I leaped up onto his back and he flapped his wings, stretching them out to prepare to fly.

"Rubes wait! I'm going with you." Gary informed me, jogging forwards then leaped expertly up onto Charizard's back, making him snarl as Gary placed his arms around my waist.

"No, it could be dangerous." I told him firmly but Gary shook his head, signalling I had no choice in the matter.

"I'm not going to let you go into that place without anyone watching your back, got it? Now let's go." He informed me and I blinked at him before turning my head to hide my blush. Paul approached curiously, reaching out a hand and rested it against Charizard, making him growl slightly but Paul wasn't intimidated.

"What's this?" He questioned so I inclined my head towards the mansion.

"I'm breaking and entering. The guy who owns the place was a client of Hunter J's and I believe he has numerous stolen Pokémon in his possession. I'm going to free them." Paul arched his eyebrow, fixing his eyes on me for a few moments before he stepped back with a nod of his head.

"Count me in."

"Not you too!" I groaned, slapping a hand to my face. "Look you guys, I don't know what's in there. I don't want to see you or your Pokémon getting hurt. It's full of security guards and highly trained Pokémon. It could be hard to even get inside, let alone get back out again with those stolen Pokémon." I was grateful that they wanted to help, but I had a deep and unsettling feeling about that place and I didn't want to see either one of them get hurt.

Paul ignored me, however, calling out his Honchkrow and jumped expertly onto its back. "Let's go already." He stated then flew up into the sky, soaring high then circled over our heads as I followed his movements.

"I don't like him." Gary announced decisively, glaring upwards. "You and I can handle this alone, we don't need him." With a sigh I elected to ignore Gary and instead turned to Charizard.

"Lead the way Charizard, you know what to do." I said and he nodded his head before taking to the sky. We skimmed over the treetops, Charizard growling before flapping his wings to shoot forwards, aiming for the clouds where we hid in its cover as we closed in on our target.

Keeping my aura senses sharpened, I gave a small whistle and Charizard instantly ducked down, heading straight for a balcony where Gary and I jumped off and landed carefully, keeping low as Charizard hovered overhead. "You know what to do Charizard, make a distraction." I told him quietly as I stood up and he nodded his great head at me before flying off just as Paul landed and returned his Pokémon. "Okay, everyone follow me. I still think you're both insane for choosing to follow me." I muttered under my breath though both of them heard me.

Moving over to the window I pressed my back to the wall and closed my eyes, sending out a pulse of aura to see inside. There was no one about, so I nodded to the two boys and slipped through the window to stand in a large room, a study. Ignoring everything that was around me I crept over to the door and sent another wave of aura out to check if the coast was clear. "Have you done this before? You seem to know what you're doing Rubes." Gary said and I shot him a smirk.

"Guess there's a lot of things you don't know about me Gary. Come on, the hallway is clear. We should stick together, it'll be safer."

"We should split up." Paul argued. "Then we can cover more ground and search faster."

"It's too dangerous. If we split up then we'll be more vulnerable." Gary argued, shooting a glare at Paul which he returned for a moment before looking at me. I sighed. This is going nowhere fast. Just then I saw a bright plume of fire explode from outside, the amber glow lighting up the window as Charizard roared.

Instantly there were sirens blaring and the sound of shouting from security guards both upstairs and downstairs, as well as the sound of hammering footsteps that ran down the hallway before fading away. "Okay here's what we'll do. Gary, you help me search and Paul, help Charizard keep those guys distracted for as long as possible. If you can, try and find the guy who owns the place. He's got a cell with his name on it, Han Jinn." Both boys nodded their heads so I flung open the door and Gary followed me as I took the left and Paul went towards the right.

As I ran I constantly sent out bursts of aura, calling out Aurora to help me locate the Pokémon. There were many of them all downstairs, so I grabbed Gary's hand and dragged him towards a stairwell as guards came running towards where we were from the east. "Hurry up!" I hissed worriedly so he picked up the pace and together we ran down the stairs, however Aurora suddenly stopped and Gary crashed into me when I was forced to halt too.

"Ow! What is it?"

"Aurora senses something." I answered, waiting as she held out a paw before she grunted at me, telling me that we were about to be cut off by other guards. "We need to go back, back!"

"Too late." Gary informed me as footsteps hammered against the steps and suddenly we were boxed in, facing several men in black suits with shades on their eyes.

"We found them. Taking intruders into custody." One of them announced to the piece in his ear, linking him with every other security guard in the building. "You kids will regret attempting to break in here. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"No but we're sure going to get out of it. Aurora, Quick Attack!" I called, flinging out a hand towards the guards on the stairs below us and Aurora moved with blinding speed, knocking them all down and instantly Gary had grabbed my hand we leaped over them. "Focus Blast!" Aurora growled as she leaped over my head then with a powerful attack, knocked all the others back before they could go for their Pokéballs.

"I'll lead them away, you go get those Pokémon." Gary told me and hung back as I nodded my head and ran forwards, Aurora streaking at my side. We leaped down the next flight of stairs then ducked behind a door to avoid another troupe of guards searching the floor for us. I hope Paul and Gary are okay, I knew I shouldn't have let them come. Already things were starting to get out of hand.

With my heart hammering in my chest, I took a deep breath then nodded to Aurora as we left our hiding place and moved off again. We were getting close to the Pokémon, I could sense them, however, they were both inside and outside, so I focused on those closest to me first.

Finally I flung open two double doors and instantly I was faced with a massive great hall, a long carpet stretching out towards the back with numerous pillars holding statues of Pokémon carved to perfection on top. I don't understand, where are the Pokémon? They're supposed to be here!

"Ponyta, give us some light." I called, tossing out his Pokéball then caught his again as my fiery Pokémon's flames gave us a little more light so that I could see. There were paintings all along the wall of Pokémon, more statues also aligning the walls as I walked forwards, looking around curiously. What was this place? Aurora gave a whine of worry and I looked down at her as she ran over to a statue, leaping up to reach out and touch its face. It was a Magby, however when I got a closer look, I could see its face was carved into an expression of fear. That's when it hit me. "No! The statues _are_ the Pokémon!" Recoiling in horror my hand jumped to my mouth before I shook my head. Pull it together Ruby, you need to focus. Suddenly there was a slow, sardonic clap and I whirled around as there was a morbid chuckle that joined the sound.

"Well done, I am impressed." A dark, coarse voice told me as someone moved among the shadows. "You certainly exceed all expectations, Miss Bates."

"How do you know me?" I demanded to know, peering into the darkness before I flung out my hand. "Ponyta go!" With a proud cry Ponyta reared up then stomped down his two front hooves, his flames instantly igniting into a brighter torrent which allowed me to see better and I saw the shadow become alive with the face of a withered old man, his wispy beard as dull as his black eyes.

"I have been expecting you, Ruby. The moment I heard Hunter J was captured, and after the first failed attempt to arrest me I knew that you would come after me yourself. It was only a matter of time." He informed me as I narrowed my eyes hatefully at him.

"You must be Han Jinn." I realised as Ponyta stood his ground, ready to attack at my command. Han moved closer and as he did so, light suddenly flooded the hall of Pokémon pillars. "Don't you realise that these Pokémon are real beings? With feelings and emotions of their own? You're a monster!" I accused him as Aurora too snarled with hate.

"Call me what you wish. It will not help you." He informed me and I paused slightly, wondering what he could mean. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and two Pokémon appeared, both of them snarling as they prowled forwards. Houndoom, and nasty looking ones as well. "I would advise you flee. Unless you are willing to battle in here and risk damaging the statues."

Narrowing my eyes I paused a moment before taking his advice. "Ponyta, Aurora, let's go!" I yelled and instantly Ponyta whirled around, galloping away as I swung up onto his back and Aurora rode on my shoulder as Ponyta carried us out of the pillars, the two Houndoom snarling with saliva slickened fangs as they bounded after us, giving chase.

Leaning to the right I guided Ponyta around the corner and we fled for a better battleground. "Aurora, use Focus Blast." I ordered so Aurora turned around and held out a paw, shooting a ball of powerful white energy directly at the Houndoom but they both dodged in unison, streaking after us once more. "Hurry Ponyta!" I yelled desperately so Ponyta snorted then powered forwards with fresh determination, hurtling around a corner before using Flamethrower to blast open a door.

The moment we streaked through, Ponyta cried out as his hooves skid on the polished floor, struggling to get a grip but the moment he was stationary, I realised that we weren't alone. Gary was battling with Blastoise and Umbreon against a hoard of Houndoom and Crobat, trying to keep them at bay so I swiftly joined the fight. "Alright Ponyta, use Wild Charge and Aurora, you use Quick Attack!" I ordered, springing from Ponyta's back and joined Gary's side as he tossed me a grin.

"Having fun?"

"You kidding? The party's only just getting started!" I returned before facing my Pokémon, watching as they battled back against the enemy Pokémon and their trainers. Soon there were Mightyena and Machoke joining the fight as more guards poured into the room where we were making our final stand. "Shieldon go! Use Thunderbolt!" I ordered, pointing to a Mightyena that was heading straight for Umbreon's back.

"Shield! Shieldon!" He called out, concentrating all his energy and the Thunderbolt struck its target, taking down the Mightyena and Umbreon glanced back with a grateful nod before continuing to battle.

"Toxicroak, use Brick Break." Two Toxicroak appeared, both of them glaring down at Umbreon who, in his moment of hesitation, took the double attack and cried out in pain as he was sent flying backwards.

"No! Umbreon!" Gary cried out before returning him to the Pokéball for safety. "Go Flareon, use Flamethrower! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

"Ponyta, use Stomp, Aurora Focus Blast and Shieldon, use Iron Head!" I directed, stepping backwards as a Houndoom leaped towards me but Shieldon use his Iron Head attack with a powerful glare, taking down the Houndoom to protect me. I felt my back press against Gary's and we glanced at one another where he gave me a comforting smile before reaching a hand back and placed it in mine, giving a tight squeeze as I drew in a sharp but quiet breath at the contact before shaking it off.

We were being swarmed with Crobat and other Pokémon, all of them glaring down at us as our Pokémon moved closer to us, growling fiercely to protect us both and Gary drew me closer to him, placing his arms around me to act as a shield as he glared bravely outward. Our Pokémon were all exhausted, we had to come up with a plan and fast.

"Electabuzz, use Thunder. Magmortar, use Flamethrower." Paul's voice suddenly sounded and we turned to see Paul standing up on a balcony, overlooking the large hall where his Pokémon both leaped over the side and launched their attacks, opening a clearing as I spun around to Aurora.

"Aurora, use Heal Pulse!" I ordered and she nodded her head before closing her eyes and touching her paws together, a purple light blooming out from her and the rings then arced out towards all our Pokémon, instantly healing them. "Alright, now let's do this!" I cheered, standing with my feet wide apart. "Pokémon go! Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Quick Attack!" I reeled off my choice of attacks and my Pokémon all leaped back into battle, the playing field now becoming a little more even.

"Go Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon, Flareon use Fire Blast!" Gary pointed before diving out the way of a Mightyena.

"Gary!" I cried out instinctively, making to run over to him as he was knocked down but then a Toxicroak leaped into my path, blocking my way and I pulled up short, facing the tall Pokémon as I swallowed. Its eyes narrowed at me, throat expanding as it croaked before lifting its hand to direct a Poison Jab right at me.

Instinctively I lifted a hand to form a shield and protect myself, however my last Pokéball burst open and Leafeon appeared with a courageous growl, leaping up and used Iron Tail to deflect the attack before summersaulting. "Use Razor Leaf!" I directed and he instantly launched the leaves straight for Toxicroak who jumped out of the way. "Now Leafeon, use Energy Ball!" We'd been practicing that move on Iron Island and Leafeon had now perfected it, creating a powerful attack which he shot straight towards the Toxicroak who this time, didn't move out of the way in time.

Suddenly Shieldon cried out and my head snapped around to where he was tossed back into the air, eyes tightly clenched shut. "Agh! Shieldon!" I yelped and instantly ran forwards, leaping up into the air and caught him in my arms. "Shieldon, are you okay?" I questioned with worry and he blinked himself awake before nodding his head wearily.

"Shieldon…"

"Ruby look out!" Gary yelled and instantly I looked up, seeing a Houndoom launching itself straight at myself and Shieldon, fangs bared ready for the attack but I sprang backwards quickly then whipped out my foot, dropping to the ground and knocked the Pokémon's legs out from underneath it, causing it to whine in shock before Ponyta used Stomp to knock it out.

A sharp yell pulled my attention towards Paul who had been knocked to the ground by the large horns of a Houndoom and was now facing another Toxicroak, which launched Poison Sting directly at Paul. "No Paul, look out!" I screeched in fear and flung out my hand, a blue warp thriving into life at my fingertips as a shield formed around him, protecting him form the hit but it only lasted a few seconds as I heard the collective cries of Gary and all our Pokémon. There were just too many of them.

"Give up, little girl. To fight any further would be futile. You are completely outmatched." Mr Jinn informed me coldly as he appeared at the balcony at the far end of the room, overlooking us all and I stared around me, seeing both Gary and Paul being restrained by two men each and our Pokémon were either knocked out or being held down by other Pokémon, numerous snarls ringing in my ear as I hugged Shieldon protectively close to me. "There is nothing you can do. There is no way to escape. Surrender now, and I shall be lenient. I shall release your friends and their Pokémon, and only keep you captive. There are several people who are…intrigued to meet you." I did not like how that sent a shiver down my spine. However, I did consider his proposition. I could still get Gary and Paul out of here, safe and sound.

"Don't do it Ruby. They'll just lock us up the moment you turn your back." Gary shouted over to me as he struggled against those holding him down then grunted as a hand was planted against his face, pressing it into the ground.

"The loser's right. You can't trust them." Paul agreed, staying perfectly calm as I took a deep breath. Without warning the doors behind us opened and I turned around only for me to make an unearthly sound of horror and pain. Charizard was being dragged inside by a Machamp and three Machoke, easily carrying him over their heads before they tossed him to the ground.

"Charizard!" He was beaten up badly, struggling for breath as I ran over to him, Shieldon tucked under one arm as I rested my hand against his face. "Charizard please answer me…please tell me you're alright…" I begged and he groaned softly before giving me a loving look. His rasping breaths became a little shallower as his exhaustion settled in and I could feel his pain, which only brought even more tears to my eyes.

They dripped down my face and onto his, making his skin gleam as he gave another soft groan. "I'm so sorry Charizard." I whispered though my voice echoed through the silence. "I shouldn't have asked this of you. This is all my fault." Crying softly I put Shieldon down beside Charizard and my little Pokémon pressed a foot against Charizard, trying to shake him awake with a worried word. "But I'm going to make it right." I promised before standing upright and walking back towards Mr Jinn. Our eyes locked and I felt an intense fire burning in me as I clenched my fists, not caring that my cheeks were sticky from my warm tears. "If you release my friends, and all our Pokémon, then I shall surrender to you."

"Ruby no!" Gary yelled desperately but I ignored him as Mr Jinn's thin lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Done." He agreed, however as a Toxicroak leaped towards me, Ponyta suddenly trumpeted with rage and leaped to his feet, finding energy from somewhere and powered against the Toxicroak, launching it away before standing protectively in front of me, snorting and pounding his hooves against the ground.

"Ponyta please! I don't want to see you get hurt anymore!" I begged but Ponyta wouldn't hear it. He used Wild Charge against two Houndoom and a Mightyena before rearing up and blasting all the Crobat he could with Flamethrower before one Wing Attack knocked out his legs and he fainted to the ground once again. "Ponyta!"

With a snarl a Mightyena lunged for me, but this time it was Leafeon who leaped to my rescue. "Leaf! Leafeon!" He yelled, slamming his full weight against Mightyena's underside then swung around, using Iron Tail before a Toxicroak pinned him down, using Poison Jab once then made to do it again. "NO!" I bellowed in rage, holding back my hands before thrusting them both forwards and used aura sphere, letting it shoot towards Toxicroak and flung him off my Leafeon. "Leave them alone, I'll take you all on myself if I have to, but leave my Pokémon ALONE!" I raged, slashing my hands at a diagonal and two streaks of aura energy burst into life and swept towards several groups of enemy Pokémon either side of me.

"Restrain her." Mr Jinn ordered and suddenly there were men surrounding me. With a snarl a barrier formed and I pushed it outward, flinging them all back but then something locked around my wrist, making me gasp before my other was secured and without warning, a powerful volt of electricity was channelled through the cords into my body, making me scream in pain.

"Ruby!" Gary thundered, struggling harder to get free as the quick attack ended and I fell to my knees, planting my hands on the floor, gasping for breath. Whatever these things were, it was like they were sapping all my energy. The cords glowed blue and the light flowed into two rods, taking all my energy as I began to feel light headed.

"I warned you fighting was futile." Mr Jinn informed me. Leafeon however was back on his feet and tried to use Iron Tail on one of the cords however a Houndoom used Flamethrower, throwing him back but Leafeon was instantly replaced by my plucky little Shieldon, who summoned all his energy to barrel straight at the Houndoom before he two was knocked out with a single hit and then Aurora leaped forwards, using Quick Attack but a smart dodge and counter into Flamethrower sent her flying backwards once more. That's it, it's over. "I admire how your Pokémon choose to fight for you to the bitter end, even when they have no strength left, they are willing to keep on battling." Mr Jinn told me as I lifted my head, my hat having fallen off to reveal my features freely.

"That's because they know I love them…and I know they love me too. We live together, we fight together, and we'll _stay_ together. No matter what." I rasped, angrily heaving for breath. With a shrug Mr Jinn lifted a hand, preparing to snap his fingers. Behind me there was a grunt and Mr Jinn paused, looking to where Charizard slammed a hand against the ground then began to push himself up, though his arms trembled in pain as he tried to move. "Charizard don't, you're hurt too bad to continue battling." I told him calmly but he ignored me, snarling and hissing as he stretched out his wings and gave a flap, lifting himself up before turning his growl directly at Mr Jinn, who arched an eyebrow with interest.

With a colossal roar Charizard sprayed his flames outward, taking a step forwards with a furious expression towards Mr Jinn. With another smirk, Mr Jinn snapped his fingers. Instantly the Pokémon exclaimed in warning as Charizard was attacked from all sides, several Shadow Balls heading directly for him. "Charizard use Dragon Tail!" I ordered, calling out to him and instantly his tail whipped around to hit back the Shadow Balls, doubling the attack power and several Crobat dropped to the ground. "Now Fire Blast!" With a mighty roar Charizard aimed his attack towards a thick cluster of enemy Pokémon, giving it everything he had as I too began to fight back with everything I had.

Growling determinedly my body began to glow as Charizard fought on, struggling to deal damage as he took some more hits but I allowed my fiery stubbornness to kick in, feeling my aura grow in power as I summoned it around me.

Lowering my head I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths as a blue light surrounded me like armour and it felt cool against my skin, refreshing my energy sources before it exploded out of me as I yelled in union with Charizard's final roar. The blast shook the room, causing several Pokémon to whimper and run away in fear as well as some of the trainers.

The blast smashed through the rods, shattering them upon impact as the rage burned within me, striking back everything that was a threat to me as Charizard also burned brightly, losing the last of his energy to then collapse to the ground, causing it to tremble as I too crumbled.

With a whimper of pain as my head hammered, the light disappeared and Mr Jinn was silent, standing in shocked awe as I remained perfectly still on the ground. "Ruby, Ruby say something. Ruby!" Gary was calling out to me, still being held down. "Rubes please!"

Suddenly there was a grunt and I opened my eyes to see Paul slam his elbow back into one of the men that restrained him and tore free, racing over to my side and skidded to a halt to drop down and turn me over, lifting me up into his arms carefully. "You okay?" He questioned as I blinked before flinching, turning my head away.

"Tired…" Paul's arms closed around me a little tighter, pulling me up towards him and he rested my head against his shoulder as a gentle whisper murmured against my ear.

"Just stay down. I'll get us out of here." He promised before gently laying me back down, brushing my hair away from my face before rising to his feet. "I challenge you to a battle." He announced, facing Mr Jinn who smirked and I tried to get up, pushing on my hands but the moment too much weight was placed on them, they gave out and I was left to crawl towards Charizard as he lay perfectly still, breathing lightly.

"Oh Charizard…" I whispered, tears in my eyes as I placed my arm over his neck. "I thought I was strong enough. Guess I was wrong."

"Very well boy." Mr Jinn decided with a nod of his head, lifting his hand and signalled for everyone to pull back. The men all lined against the wall, one of them gripping Gary's hair tightly in his fist and forced him backwards too. "But I shall warn you now. You are making a mistake."

"We'll see about that. Honchkrow, standby for battle!" Paul yelled, getting fired up as Mr Jinn smirked then called out his own Pokémon.

"Fearow, it is time." He spoke and as the battle begun, I blacked out. All I could hear were occasional cries and explosions as Paul fought to try and get us away from here. I was so stupid. I should never had tried to free the Pokémon here on my own. Paul looked as if he were winning, taking out four of Mr Jinn's Pokémon whilst only losing one of his, however when that frail looking old man drew out a Gyarados, it all suddenly changed. None of Paul's Pokémon could not make so much as a dent, not even Torterra and Paul was defeated despite his valiant efforts to try and save us.

"Torterra no!" Paul stared wide eyes as his Pokémon fainted, no longer able to battle. Groaning I was able to lift my head, blinking in confusion as my surroundings became hazy and unreadable.

"Take him." A Houndoom powered forwards and slammed into Paul, forcing him to the ground and pressed a paw against his chest as he hissed, blood trickling down his nose. With my vision started to clear, I began to see Mr Jinn's true intensions. Oh god…he was going to kill Paul. Houndoom was ready to tear out his throat, I could hear it in his thoughts! So before Mr Jinn could give the order, I somehow found my voice.

"Wait!" Again silence rang out and though my heart was quivering, I pushed myself back to my feet and turned to Mr Jinn and his Gyarados, who was snarling at me darkly, ready to swallow me up whole. "Wait…I still have one Pokémon left." I announced, surprising Mr Jinn.

"Well then my dear, I shall offer you one last chance to win back some of your pride. Please, be my guest." He invited so I reached back behind me, flicking open my bag then slowly drew out a flute. The boys both frowned at me in confusion as I held its silver length in my hand, the feather like weight cool against my sweaty skin.

Closing my eyes I ignored everything else in the room and took a deep breath before pressing my lips to the flute and began to play a simple melody. My fingers trilled on the notes, knees starting to buckle however I held on, instantly feeling a mind connect with my own.

The Eon flute began to glow a soft white and I heard a voice call out to me, realising my danger and high above me, a warp appeared. "What is this? What are you doing?!" Mr Jinn demanded to know with slight worry as his Gyarados snarled.

"Laaaa!" A familiar voice trilled and I stopped playing, smiling as I looked up to see my old friend shoot through the warp and it disappeared behind her. Latias swept around the room, calling out to me as she flew a swift circle then hovered in front of me with worried eyes.

"Latias. I'm so happy to see you." I murmured, holding her face in my hands as she nuzzled my cheek with a worried call.

"Latias La, Latias!" Then she turned around to face the Gyarados, eyes narrowed fiercely in anger as Mr Jinn blinked in surprise.

"How intriguing. Very well. Let battle commence. Gyarados, use Hydro Pump." He ordered and I smirked.

"Latias, use Psychic." I retaliated and instantly the water halted before her and swept around, her Psychic forcing the water to part before she sent it flying back at Gyarados and struck it directly. "Now use Dragon Pulse!" Punching my arm forwards Latias flew a loop before striking Gyarados again who roared.

"Hyper Beam!"

"Dodge it!" Latias darted out of the way and I took this chance as my Pokémon all lifted their heads as well as the boys. "Okay Latias, use Heal Pulse on all our Pokémon, then use Mist Ball!"

"La!" She cheered and instantly rose up, her body glowing a pale pink before streams of the light snaked away from her, leading towards the ground as Gyarados was frozen in place from the Hyper Beam attack, allowing her time to heal all the Pokémon.

Suddenly they were renewed with energy and their wounds disappeared, causing them all to fling their captors away from them and bellow their battle cries as Gary laughed. "Alright! Now we're back in business. Blastoise, use Hydro Pump, Flareon use Flamethrower!" He yelled as all my Pokémon leaped to their feet and stood around me, ready to attack.

"Go!" I directed and they all leaped back into battle. "Latias, keep that Gyarados busy!" She called back to signal she had heard me as I turned around, taking slow steps towards where the boys were being held hostage. Narrowing my eyes, I took on a battle stance then cocked my hand, telling them to bring it on.

One man charged forwards with a yell and with more strength than I had before, thanks to Latias's healing, I whirled my foot around and tossed him over my shoulder before gripping the arm that had punched towards me, jabbing my elbow down at the joint then flung him to the ground also as the boys both stared in slight shock.

I joined the battle, helping keep the guards occupied before finally, I had knocked out the ones holding back Paul and Gary, releasing them. "Rubes!" Gary said with relief and instantly drew me into his crushing hug. "You had me worried for a moment there."

"Yeah. Me too. Come on, let's kick some butt." I smirked before leaping back into the fight. "Shieldon, Thunderbolt! Aurora, Heal Pulse on Flareon!" Spinning around as a Mightyena jumped into the air at me, I flung myself to the side before Leafeon tackled the Pokémon away from me, allowing me room to turn to see Latias and Charizard attacking the powerful Gyarados. "Latias, use Dragon Pulse, Charizard you use Fire Blast!" Both instantly followed my orders and with the combined attacks, Gyarados was knocked out with a final cry, fainting to the ground. "Latias, Psychic full power!" Punching the air Latias rose up above me and instantly lifted all our opponents off the ground, holding them up as they yelped.

Mr Jinn yelled in fear, scrambling fruitlessly as Latias lifted him off the ground and brought him down to face me as I walked forwards, meeting him face to face. "Futile, you said, yes?" I questioned as I nodded my head and Latias dropped him down at my feet as he quivered. "You said you had been expecting me, and that there were people who wanted to meet me. Tell me who." He glared at me.

"I will tell you nothing." Grabbing the front of his robes, I lifted him clean off the ground as my eyes narrowed to slits, rage building up within me as I felt the last string that held me together snap. Mr Jinn whimpered, gripping my fist with bony fingers but I held on.

" _Who_?" I demanded to know once more and Mr Jinn gulped.

"They…they want your powers. There is a great plan in place, waiting for you to reach your full potential. Once you have mastered aura, they will come for you. That is all I will say." He told me bravely so I growled, continuing to hold him in a threatening grip but then Gary rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down Rubes, this isn't like you." He told me with surprise in his eyes and I blinked at him before lowering my head. He was right. With a sigh I let Mr Jinn down, however Latias instantly snatched him up, ensuring he didn't escape.

"Latias, you know what to do." I said to her and she nodded her head before guiding all the men together, gathering them all into circles before using the now useless cords that had trapped me to tie them all up.

As I walked over to inspect one of the rods, Charizard gave a gentle growl and nuzzled my face, making me smile slightly as I rubbed his nose. "I love you." I whispered to him before bending down and getting a closer look at the rod. It was completely broken, so I couldn't see what it was but I made a mental note to get Jenny to have it investigated. Whatever that thing was, it had literally drained me of my energy and some of my power.

Light through the windows began to rise and I yawned, turning to see that dawn was coming, bringing a new day with it. Within the hour there were police crawling about the place, arresting everyone inside including Mr Jinn and I took this time to take a look outside.

The gardens were beautiful, however they were full of statues of Pokémon, water types making up the fountains and others set in place at various points, taking more than three hours to locate them all. "So…how do we free them?" Gary asked me as he stood at my side. "We don't have Hunter J's disk to just turn down the dial. How can we release them?" Lifting my head I walked forwards and focused on a Lapras, feeling its sadness and isolation before putting Aurora down at my side.

Without even answering Gary, I pressed my knuckles together and bowed my head, taking a deep breath before allowing a burst of aura to shoot out from me. With hummed with energy, flying out and consuming the gardens and the entire house as I focused, drawing out the auras of the Pokémon within the shells and slowly, they began to crack.

Gary gasped, staring in awe as the Lapras and other water Pokémon before us began to glow through the breaks, eyes widening as I pressed my eyes even more tightly shut, concentrating with all my might before finally, a chain event was kick started.

Pokémon burst free of their encasing, calling out with mixed emotion before relaxing at my calming aura which wrapped around them, ensuring them of their safety. Officer Jenny and several news reporters raced out from the mansion and stared as my body glowed even brighter, forcing them to shield their eyes before finally, satisfied that every Pokémon was free, I let go of my focus and exhaled with exhaustion, falling forwards but I gripped onto the side of the fountain for support as Gary was too far to catch me, though he did jump to try.

The Lapras swam over to me and nuzzled me appreciatively, smiling with joy as the other Pokémon in the water all splashed around, enjoying their long awaited freedom and I smiled, standing upright as I quickly recovered and petted Lapras's face as it thanked me for my help. "Wow…you're sure full of surprises Rubes." Gary said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head as Paul walked over.

Turning around to face him Paul completely ignored Gary, coming to stand directly in front of me. His eyes bore into mine for a moment before he handed over my hat which he'd picked up for me and I smiled gratefully at him as I took it and placed it back on my head, instantly feeling comforted. "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry your Pokémon got so beat up." I told him.

"No big deal. They'll be fine after some rest." That surprised me a little and I think it showed on my face.

"You're not going to make them train straight off?" Paul paused a moment, thinking about his answer before one corner of his mouth turned upwards slightly.

"Guess you've taught me a thing or two." He decided before reaching out. I watched his hand cautiously as he tucked a lock of hair slowly behind my ear, his thumb brushing against my cheek and I blinked before looking up at him.

His head dipped ever so slightly towards me, a miniscule movement, however it was enough to make Aurora growl in warning, so Paul stopped and shot her look before inclining his head and took a step back. I caught Gary's suspicious glare before he hid it behind his usual smirk, turning to me.

"So Rubes, next time you try to go solo, make sure you tell me first so I can be backup, just in case." He said, winking and giving me a thumb's up and I blushed slightly.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. It was a dumb strategy. You happy now?" I questioned and Gary's smirk only grew further.

"Only slightly. You still owe me one. Or two. Maybe three…I've lost count now." Growling I folded my arms and glared at him.

"Don't start Gary Oak, I'm still hacked off you stole my hat!" I warned him, hoping it would humble him slightly but he only grinned mischievously as Paul glanced between us.

"You still owe me for returning it you know. Don't forget our agreement." He winked again and my voice rose as I waved my hands frantically over my head.

"I did not agree to anything! You better start running Gary, because in ten seconds I'm bringing out Charizard and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to _roast_ you for breakfast!" Gary laughed, flicking out his hand from his head in a mock salute.

"Okay I'm going, I'm going. Still. Maybe I should stick around. You never know, there may be a cliff around here or something."

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE AS GOOD AS BARBEQUED!" I thundered, launching myself forwards and Gary laughed as he leaped out the way then made a run for it, though I chased him all the way to the steps before giving up. "I'll get you next time Gary Oak! You'd better watch your back!" All I heard in return was his laughter.

"You two seem…close." Paul noted as he walked over to my side, his head lowered slightly with his slightly relaxed scowl situated on his face.

"Yeah. Close to murdering one another." I muttered as the operation of retrieving Pokémon went underway, getting the Pokémon into transports as Nurse Joy went around checking to make sure they were all healthy. "Anyway. I should get going. There's still a lot of work to do."

"Be careful." Paul told me and I turned to look at him. "You may not need rescuing all the time, but that doesn't mean you should be reckless. By the sounds of it, there are people out there waiting to get you." He said before turning to look at me seriously. "You should watch your step." My mind went back to the time I had seen a Zoroark and how terrified I had felt. Shuddering slightly I nodded my head. "I don't make friends easily, so I'd hate for the only one I have to get hurt." Then before I could reply, Paul turned his head and touched his lips to mine, taking me completely by surprise.

The kiss lasted only a few moments before Aurora snapped out of her own shock and yelled in outrage, leaping up into the air and started to form Focus Blast but Paul quickly stepped back from me and instantly I turned around to grab her arms, forcing her to stop so that she wouldn't hurt anyone.

A familiar rage I had felt once before burned within her, turning her eyes blood red before she blinked and quickly switched back to her old self, stunning me slightly before I took a deep breath and held her close to me and she clung to me tightly, whimpering slightly. "It's okay." I whispered before turning around only to find Paul walking away. "Paul!" I called after him but he continued to leave. "Paul!" I yelled again but didn't go after him.

So with a heavy blush, I turned and walked into the opposite direction, helping Officer Jenny keep the Pokémon calm as we started to find their previous trainers, though my mind kept on wandering back to that kiss. Maybe Barry was right after all. I think Paul might actually have feelings for me.


	47. Chapter 47

Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes and reached out across the Sinnoh region, standing at the peak of a tall mountain overlooking a vast expanse of land. I could sense every Pokémon that lived upon these rocks and every soul that existed in the village at the mountain's base. It was almost time for the Grand Festival which Dawn was entering since she had successfully won five ribbons, allowing her to compete.

I had recently caught up with the gang, listening to all their adventures and the new addition of a Togekiss to Dawn's party and Gible to Ash's. Ash had succeeded in winning all eight of his badges and was getting psyched for his upcoming battles in the Sinnoh league, with Brock keeping a careful eye on them all.

May's Contest Festival will also be underway soon, so it looks as though I'll be doing a lot of travelling. Exhaling the deep breath I had been holding I opened my eyes again and smiled as the breeze lifted, wrapping itself around me.

"You've grown." A voice murmured gently from behind and instantly I froze in place, blinking in disbelief as Aurora whirled around with a warning growl, preparing to attack but I held out my hand as I spun on my heel.

"No Aurora. It's alright." I informed her before looking directly at Sam and Lucario, both of whom had their eyes fixed on me. Shifting slightly I wondered what to say. It's been over a year since I'd last seen Sam, the last being when I'd found out he was my real father.

"Ruby." He bowed his head in greeting so I returned the gesture before he gave a little smile, looking to Aurora who stood up straight. "I see you caught yourself a Riolu."

"Yeah. She hatched from an egg that was given to me. Aurora, meet Sam and Lucario." I introduced before flinching. Should I call him dad? I'm not sure. However Sam didn't seem to mind me referring to him by his first name as he crouched down and touched Aurora's face, gently rubbing her cheek and she instantly smiled and began to give a rumbling growl like a purr as Lucario walked over to me and softly nuzzled my face in greeting as I giggled. "Hey Lucario, I've missed you too." I told him as Sam stood up. "What're you doing here?"

"I have spoken with Officer Jenny. We both agree that it would be best if you hand over the responsibility of the Pokémon recovery operation to me. It is becoming dangerous for you and I do not want to see you hurt." He told me and I blinked a moment before feeling offended.

"I can handle it! That last time was just a mistake, that's all!"

"A mistake that you cannot afford to make again. Ruby, when will you understand? There are people out there waiting for you to lower your guard and when you do, they'll come after you with a vengeance." I grumbled under my breath, folding my arms stubbornly. "Besides. If you leave the Pokémon to me, then you're free to go travelling again." Pausing a moment, I listened to this reason. I guess he was right, but still. I'm not a child, I can take care of myself.

Looking down at Aurora she nodded her head at me, so I caved in with a sigh. "Okay. I'll back off." Mumbling slightly incoherently Sam arched an eyebrow before nodding his head with satisfaction. He then turned to face the valley, searching the horizon distantly. "Why did you never tell me before who you were? Or come to visit me as a kid?" I questioned quietly and Sam gave a deep sigh, lowering his head and I felt his weariness that seemed to have settled deep into his bones.

"I did not want to disrupt your happiness." He admitted, glancing over his shoulder to me. "You were safer the further I was away from you, and I could not put you in danger." Turning his head slightly he lifted his eyes to meet mine and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I didn't know what to say, or what to do so I just stood there as Sam continued to look at me, gradually lifting his head higher. "I may not be the father you deserve, Ruby, but I am your father and I couldn't be more proud of you. You're growing up to be a strong, beautiful and incredible young lady." Blushing slightly I looked down to Aurora who smiled and nodded her head at me, agreeing.

"Thanks." I said and Sam reached out, resting it on my shoulder but then he slowly and tenderly moved to cup my face, stepping closer with misty eyes as I leaned into his fatherly touch and rested my hand over his.

"I'm always there for you Ruby, even if you can't see me. Everything I do is to protect you, because _nothing_ is more important to me than you are." I felt my own eyes prick with tears as I couldn't help but smile up at him.

"I know." I said before my smile grew slightly. "Dad." A single tear slid down Sam's face as he pressed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath and I stepped forwards, lacing my arms around his waist and hugged him, making him tense in surprise before slowly he fixed his arms around me as well, holding me close to him and I felt a wave of peace wash over him.

Neither of us let go for a long time, but I laughed when Aurora jumped up onto my shoulder and joined the hug too and Sam gave a rich chuckle before finally, we stepped back together. "Just remember Ruby, no matter what you do, I'll always be proud, and I love you. You're my precious baby girl." Sam told me in a soft whisper then kissed my cheek, making me close my eyes into my smile, however when I opened them again, both Sam and Lucario were gone and I was standing on my own with Aurora.

"I love you too dad." I murmured before turning a smirk on Aurora. "Come on. We've got festivals and a Pokémon league to get to. Let's fly!" Aurora cheered excitedly and I called out Charizard, who flew a circle around us, making me laugh as I twirled around with him, taking in the childish fun of dancing around before I leaped onto his back and we flew as fast as we could, making me yell loudly into the sky as Charizard banked towards Dawn's Grand Festival.


	48. Chapter 48

Our time was together was drawing to a close. As I watched Ash battle against Paul, all I could think of was how far we'd all come since starting our journey at ten years old. Ash was so close to becoming the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time, but Paul was not letting up easily. In the final showdown between Infernape and Electivire, it was like watching an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object. Infernape hung on until the end, where Paul's Pokémon just couldn't take anymore and Ash won the battle.

I could see the shock on Paul's face and I felt my cheeks grow warm as I remembered his kiss. A part of me felt a little giddy, however I knew that I just didn't feel the same way and I didn't know how to tell him. Besides, Paul was someone I still just couldn't understand. I think he's come a long way on his journey too, as when he walked towards Electivire, I was able to hear him through aura which was in tune to the Pokémon down there. He actually thanked his Pokémon for a great battle, something I don't think he's ever done before.

Whilst Brock, Dawn and Barry all cheered along with the crowds, I looked between Ash and Paul before smiling. I think those two finally respect one another. I stood up from my seat and slipped through the crowds, Aurora hurrying to follow me as I made my way down out of the stadium then waited at the exit where I knew Paul would leave.

When he walked through with his head bowed, I sensed a slight edge of disappointment from him, sad that it was all over. "You know, there's no reason for you to be hanging your head like that." I reasoned and he stopped short, his head shooting up as he then turned around to see me leaning against the stadium wall. Aurora gave a growl but I flicked out my hand and she instantly fell silent, allowing me to speak to Paul alone. "You should be proud." Paul looked at me for a moment longer before turning his head away.

"I still lost. Guess I underestimated him." I gave a little chuckle, folding my arms as I stepped closer.

"Yeah, a lot of people tend to do that, but don't worry. Your journey doesn't end here, it's just the start of another chapter." I told him simply and I saw a flicker of a smile on his face. "I know you, Ash and I have had a rough time against each other, but I hope now that we can at least call each other real friends." In answer, Paul nodded his head without saying a word. "And Paul? Don't be afraid to connect with people and Pokémon. Sure, you might get burned once or twice, but when you find someone who genuinely cares about you, any scar is worth it."

Rolling back my sleeve I showed him a burn scar on my arm that made him blink in surprise. "Believe it or not, but Charizard hated me when we first met. He had no problems hurting me, but I didn't give up on him, now look at us." Blushing slightly I hid the scar and lowered my head a little. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…you're not all that bad." This time, Paul gave a small laugh and I couldn't help but smile. He had a nice laugh.

"Thank you, Ruby. You've taught me a lot and I see you as a great rival." He paused, giving a small smirk. "And friend." He turned to fully face me which closed some of the distance between us and I blushed again, hiding under my hat so that he couldn't see. "Next time we meet, I hope you'll battle with me. A full six on six. I'd like to see you and all your Pokémon at their full strength."

"You're on. But just to warn you, I fully intend to kick your butt!" I grinned, pointing to him and he smirked in reply.

"We'll see." His soft murmur made my smile drop slightly as I looked up at him, feeling slightly confused internally. He reached out with one hand and tilted back my hat to fully expose my face and his fingers then dropped to my cheek, gently brushing against my skin. I opened my mouth to try and say something, but then someone else interrupted with a yell.

"I knew it! I totally knew you had a thing for her! Ha!" Barry pointed accusingly at us with a victorious smile and Paul instantly dropped his hand, a scowl returning to his face. "Oh don't let me interrupt you two lovebirds, just let me get a picture!" Instantly my eyes widened.

"Barry! That's _my_ camera! How'd you…hey!" He began snapping photos so I tried to lunge for it but he jumped out of my way. "Barry! You get back here right now!" Paul arched an eyebrow and watched as I hunted Barry, who started to run circles about the statuesque Paul who sighed and rolled his eyes. He held out a hand and managed to catch me around the middle and stopped me from throttling Barry.

"Alright, one picture but then you give the camera back. Got it?" He questioned and Barry smirked, nodding his head then leaped back to get the right angle for the picture. My cheeks went a little red as Paul let go of me but then rested his hand on my shoulder, his arm resting casually against my back as he looked towards the lens. I blinked up at him then did the same, struggling to try and keep up a smile, however when Aurora leaped up with a grin and cheer, I giggled as I caught her, feeling instantly more comfortable as Barry took some snaps before I nodded to Aurora and she used Quick Attack to get it back.

"Alright fine! I'm done. Go back to your wooing, I'll just be over here." He said then watched us curiously so I gave Aurora a look. Instantly she started a Focus Blast, aiming it straight for Barry who yelled in fear and bolted for it, Aurora chasing after him and I took a photo of that, laughing with a smirk.

"Now _that's_ funny." Turning I looked up at Paul who nodded his head, a small smile on his face. "Listen Paul…about what happened at the mansion…when you…" He arched an eyebrow and I lost my courage, biting my lip and looking down at my feet.

"It's okay. I understand." He told me and I looked up at him again. "You're an amazing girl, Ruby, and any guy would be lucky to have you, but I don't think you and I would work out in that way. I realise now that we're just a little too different." I gave a small and guilty laugh.

"Guilty as charged. I'm sorry Paul…" He shook his head and gave me a smile before surprising me. Paul pulled me into a hug and held me tightly, his head resting on top of mine as I jumped slightly before relaxing and hugging him back. "Say hello to Reggie for me, and make sure you take care of yourself." I murmured into his chest and his arms tightened around me briefly before he let go.

"You too." He said before turning and starting to walk off. I watched him go for a moment before I got an idea. Quickly I rummaged around in my bag before my fingers closed around a smooth, round and metallic object which I instantly pulled out. With a smile on my face I shouldered my bag then ran towards the great steps that Paul had begun to descend.

"Hey Paul!" I called after him and he turned back, giving me a warm smile so I tossed the item down to him. It shone brightly in the air and Paul looked at it before quickly grabbing it, fingers closing around it securely. When he looked down and opened his hand, the Soothe Bell rested there and gave a soft ring. "Maybe you'll have a use for it after all!" I called down again so that he could hear me, waving to him. "Good luck! We'll meet again soon!" I promised and he nodded his head before lifting his hand in farewell before pocketing the Soothe Bell and continuing on his way.

I watched him leave, Aurora returning to jump up onto my shoulder and I lifted a hand to gently rub her cheek. Ash came running down the steps, not even noticing I was there and he called out Paul's name, so with a secret and proud smile, I turned and walked back towards the stadium, knowing that one day I would be back here and when that day comes, I'll be there to conquer the entire Sinnoh League.


	49. Chapter 49

After what felt like years, I was finally looking out over Pallet Town again. Ash was at my side and both Pikachu and Aurora were on our shoulders, however we stood there on the hill just to take in our home and admire it from a distance, kind of relieved to be back. "You know Ruby, I hate the part where we leave our friends." Ash said to me and I looked at him as he fixed his eyes on home before turning to me with a smile. "So I'm glad that you and I never have to say goodbye."

I returned his smile then gave him a hug, holding him close before pushing back. "Come on genius, I'll race you!" With laughter we ran all the way home to Professor Oak's lab, where a huge welcome home party was being hosted for us.

There was cake and ice cream and all our favourite foods, so Ash and I stuffed our faces as everyone welcomed us back, however no one greeted us quite as enthusiastically as our Pokémon. "Kiki!" I cried out happily and he leaped onto me, making me take a step back as he meowed and started to lick my face, making me giggle.

"Vaporeon! Poreon Vaporeon!" Vaporeon called and suddenly I had an entire stampede of Pokémon running straight for me. Crying out with laughter they all smothered me in hugs and kisses and affection, tickling me all over as Ivysaur wrapped his vines around my waist and lifted me up off the ground as Ash took on a similar treatment from Bayleef, who snuggled close and would barely allow anyone else to get close.

"Hey Ruby! You ready?" He questioned and I nodded my head.

"You bet! Okay everyone, it's play time!" I yelled loudly and flung all my Pokéballs up into the air, letting out all of my Sinnoh Pokémon as well as Charizard. Leafeon instantly bounded over to Vaporeon, nuzzling his mother's head as Shieldon began to race around excitedly, making me giggle as he began to introduce himself.

Ponyta stepped closer to me and nuzzled my face, making me smile and hold his face gently to give it a rub before he neighed loudly and charged off, exploring his surroundings. "La! Latias La!" Suddenly an invisible shape lifted me off the ground and I squealed in surprise before clinging onto Latias.

"Latias! It's great to see you too!" I laughed, hugging her neck as she flew circles around with me before I jumped off and began to hug and greet all my Pokémon. "Pidgeot! I've missed you so much, you look beautiful!" I said as I hugged her to me and she chirped happily before beginning to peck at my hair.

"You'll pleased to know that your Pidgeot knows a new move." Professor Oak said to me and I lifted my head.

"Really? That's awesome! What is it?" I asked him as I ran my hand over Pidgeot's feathers, glad to be with her again as the professor smiled cheerfully.

"The new move is called Hurricane. It's a very powerful flying type move that deals out considerable power. Pidgeot managed to learn it all by herself." Pride washed over me and I hugged her again.

"Way to go Pidgeot! That's so great!" I beamed and she chirped again before flying up to perch on Charizard's shoulder, greeting him with a friendly head rub. I was then pounded upon by Jigglypuff who leaped at my chest and I was flattened by her powerful hit before I started to laugh, holding her up into the air before I was lifted back into the air with Psychic, my body glowing bleu before I was settled on the ground again and I turned a smile to Gardevoir and Gallade. "Thanks guys!" I called and they both dipped their heads, however when Gardevoir glanced at Gallade, her cheeks reddened slightly with a blush, making me smirk knowingly.

We celebrated for hours, dancing together and I fell back into step with all my Pokémon. Froslass was very affectionate when she saw me, putting her arms around me and even blue an Icy Wind at me to try and show her affection, however Charizard had to then melt me out of the ice. She seemed glad to see me again, and she seemed very happy here so I was happy too.

After the party was over Ash and I flew out on Pidgeot to visit Ash's own Pidgeot that still lived with the flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. "Pidgeot! Pidgeot it's me! Ash!" He yelled out as the sun started to set and instantly a shape cut through the air to then land on Ash's chest, taking him down to the floor where Pidgeot then started to peck at him in greeting, happily chirping and flapping his wings as Ash laughed. "It's great to see you too! How is the flock doing? Are you keeping all those Spearow and Fearow away?" He questioned and Pidgeot nodded his head, stepping back to allow Ash to stand.

"You're doing a great job Pidgeot, you look like you've grown a lot stronger." I noted as I stood with my Pidgeot. "What do you say we go for a fly around town? The thermals are just perfect." Pidgeot nodded his head with a chirp so Ash jumped onto his back as I leaped up onto my own Pidgeot, giving a smile as I patted her neck. "Okay girl, let's show them how it's done!"

With a loud call Pidgeot took the skies, soaring high above the town as it shone with a golden radiance. Ash laughed loudly as he and his Pidgeot chased after us, both of us weaving in and out of one another as we climbed higher and higher before finally, we both took a nose dive, gaining speed and I whooped at the top of my voice, letting go with both hands to let the thrilling rush pound through me.

Together we pulled up just before we hit the ground, skimming over the grass and I couldn't help but grin wildly, looking back at Ash and Pikachu who both wore identical smiles on their faces. From there we glided up into the sky and Pidgeot dipped her wing into a cloud, causing a gentle surf of white as I relaxed into the serene surroundings of the open skies, feeling nothing but complete freedom.

We landed on our favourite hill that overlooked the town bathed in the light of the sunset as the last rays shone out brightly before dipping below the mountains. "So Ruby, do you have any plans?" Ash asked me as we lay side by side, gazing up at the sky and watching as the stars appeared one by one.

"I was going to head over to Cerulean City to visit Misty, then I'm going back to Hoenn to see May and Max. He'll be starting his journey next month and I want to be there to say hello and wish him luck. After that I'm not sure…maybe back to contests and gym battles." I said then turned my head to look at him. "What about you?"

"I don't know. Mom's been talking about a vacation with Professor Oak to a new region called Unova. I think I'll go with them and start over again." He told me as he reached out and rubbed Pikachu's head. "With Pikachu too, of course."

"That's great Ash." I smiled before turning my eyes back to the sky which was quickly becoming dark. "You'd better keep in touch, it'll feel weird not travelling around with you. If you run into any trouble and need help, I'll fly over right away to save your butt." Ash laughed, still gazing upwards.

"Thanks Ruby, I know you would." We remained on the hill until it was completely dark and both Pidgeot stirred, so we decided it was time to fly back. Pidgeot returned to his flock and I took Ash home, giving him a ride on my Pidgeot. When he jumped off just outside his house, he turned to face me. "Listen Ruby, you and I have been through a lot together and we've come a long way since we first started our journey." He said and I nodded my head in agreement. "I just want you to know how much you mean to me, you really are like my sister and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. If you're the one who ever needed my help, then I'll do everything I can."

"Pikachu Pi Pika!" Pikachu agreed and I got down from Pidgeot's back and hugged them both, Aurora join in as well.

"Thanks Ash." I said to him as he held me tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too Ruby." He answered and I smiled, though in my heart I couldn't help but feel like this sounded like a final goodbye, one that would last a long time before we would be able to see each other again in person. I didn't want to let go, however I knew that I had to. It was hard enough saying goodbye to Brock, but Ash? He meant the world to me. I've known him since we were little where we used to play together in the sand box, pretending to be Pokémon masters but our friendship never really settled into stone until we started our Pokémon journey, when we truly started to evolve.

"You take care now, okay?" He said to me as I drew back and nodded my head with a smile.

"Hey, no need to worry, right genius?" I reasoned and he gave a little laugh before stepping away. "Pikachu? I'll be counting on you to take care of Ash for me. Make sure he remembers to wash and to keep training hard, and make sure you don't have too much ketchup." I listed off like a worried mother, sniffing as I tried to keep from crying.

"Pikachu…" He said before springing back into my arms and I hugged him securely, resting my face against his soft fur. "Pikachu Pi…"

"I love you too Pikachu, don't forget that." I murmured before finally, I let go and climbed back onto Pidgeot's back. I knew it wasn't goodbye straight away, that we still had a few days together, but I couldn't help but know this one was sincere and meant for the time when it was a final goodbye but we wouldn't be able to say the words we needed to say because of other people.

Looking back at Ash, I gave one last smile and lifted my hand in farewell before Pidgeot carried me back into the sky to fly to my house, where mom and dad were waiting for me with open arms, seeming to understand why I was close to tears, so without a word I leaped into their warm embrace and let the tears flow.

* * *

 **I just want to say another huge thank you to everyone who's been with me from the very beginning of this story, there are just too many to name but I want you to know, I truly do appreciate your kind words and constructive criticism. I'll be back with another Ruby story once I've planned things out and written a few chapters. Same as before, if you want anything added into the story or have a special Pokemon request, then please feel free to PM me, I love logging in to find so many emails from enthusiastic readers such as you!**

 **I'll be seeing y'all again soon, so hang in there and anticipate Ruby's next Pokemon journey!**


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